A New God Eater's Journey
by Sprogster85
Summary: The long awaited sequel to "From The Start" where we will follow our new protagonist through the adventures of God Eater 2 Rage Burst.
1. Chapter 1

**A New God Eater's Journey**

Chapter 1

DISCLAIMER: I DO NOT OWN THE GOD EATER FRANCHISE HOWEVER I DO OWN MY OC.

Name: Cedrick Esparza

Gender: Male

Hairstyle: Style 7 (Dark Brown)

A/N: When reading through this narrative feel free to replace my character's information with your own. That's what I like to do when reading other God Eater Fanfiction to make it feel like I am in the story. The appearance will not matter as much in this narrative anyway.

Also, please leave a review.

Cedrick's POV

I am Cedrick Esparza. I know what you are thinking, "that's an unusual name", am I right? Well, I'm an unusual kinda guy. I met my first Aragami at the ripe ol' age of 6. At the time, I hadn't known what an Aragami and didn't understand the danger that I put myself in when I decided to move towards it. Thinking back, I must have been a pretty stupid kid. Who the hell walks towards a monster with a gaping mouth that shows off a complete set of razor sharp teeth? I now know that that monster is called an Ogretail and apparently, they are one of the more common types of Aragami in the world right now. According to what I have heard from a few of the higher ups in Fenrir, Aragami have coexisted with us humans since the 2050s. It's now 2074, meaning that these "Gods", as some people may call them, have been around for approximately two decades. And to think that I was ignorant to the monsters in this world for a long time. Even after my encounter with the Ogretail, I refused to believe that such beasts could live alongside us. For the first time in a very long time Humans were not the most ferocious predator in the world. We've been moved down the pecking order. Anyway, I digress, let me get back to that chance encounter with my first Aragami. My mother and father had fallen prey to its jaws. Their bodies were cut in half in front of my eyes. I was lucky to escape with my life. One of my relatives had stumbled upon the scene and had taken me away from it. Since then I have been living with that relative, an Uncle, who happens to be one of the higher ups in Fenrir. He had saved my life and I had made sure too tell him that several times during the 10 years I had stayed with him and I learned a lot from him. But now, only days after my 18th birthday I am being forced to leave him.

"Cedrick..." My Uncle paused but he sounded rather pleased. "Today's the day you become a man. I have received word that the blood test you undertook a few days ago has come back as a positive match for a special project that Fenrir is working on called 'Blood Special Forces'. You are to be transferred into that unit in the next few days. I'm proud to call you my nephew." I became dejected midway through his speech. He seemed almost too excited to let me go and that pained me. I made sure to make my voice heard.

"Why are you so happy?" I asked him with a pained voice. Don't get me wrong, I could never be angry with the man who saved my life but I wanted to stay with him. I had only ever seen any more Aragami through video footage that my Uncle would watch and analyse so the thought of actually fighting these beasts, the same beasts that took my parents scared me stiff.

"You will finally be able to get revenge on the Aragami that took your parents. I remember a time when you told me that you wished to become a God Eater and take revenge on Aragami all over the world. Is that not what you want anymore?" My Uncle asked me with a look of surprise on his face as he thought about this possibility.

"I don't want revenge." I told him, still dejected but covered it with a forced smile, something that my Uncle had become akin to and so I don't know why I still do it.

"You've taught me so much. Whether you meant to or not. I did want revenge for a while but that was a long time ago. I've gotten over my parents' deaths but the thought of fighting monster like that scares me. I don't know if I have it in me to kill anything." I say as a few stray tears fall from my eyes.

"You'll be appropriately trained. Nobody is going to through you into the action blind and oblivious." My Uncle tells me in a matter of fact voice.

"I know that-"

"Everybody goes through this stage. There will be more newcomers like you in this unit and you'll all grow together. You will make friends so it's important to keep on smiling and helping them no matter what." His words are like the law to me and helped to rebuild a bit of confidence.

"You're right. Everyone is a beginner at one point in their life, possibly even more." It took me a few more seconds before I spoke again, "I'll join Blood Special Forces." I lift my head with a sincere smile and I receive one back. "But will you be okay by yourself?" I ask my Uncle with a look of concern.

"Of course I will be. We live in a remote section of Fenrir Headquarters." He reminds me. Fenrir Headquarters is armed with many amazing God Eaters and coupled with the fact that the Headquarters are heavily fortified via other means answers my question. But I had never really seen much of these heavily fortified things. Since I was rescued, I have been told to remain within a limited section of the Headquarters. I was allowed to visit the outside world but only when accompanied by at least one God Eater. After our discussion I went about packing up my things.

The preceding events had taken place a couple of days ago and now, I am on something called a helicopter, being transported to where I will meet the head of this new unit I would be joining. Seeing the world below me was surely breathtaking. I had only ever known a small area of the world from when I was allowed outside and so I was ecstatic at the new things I could see. However, seeing as how I have lived the past 10 years of my life on the ground, I think it is safe to say that I have a fear of heights and this instantly cancels out any trace of enthralment I may have felt from seeing a lot of new things.

"Are we almost there?" I nauseously asked, feeling the bile rising in my throat.

"For the umpteenth time, we'll be there soon!" The pilot shouted, clearly sick of me asking him. I decided to look outside again hoping the new sights would help take my mind off of the fact that we were in the air. Hopefully, I will be so immersed with what is transpiring that I will forget that we are many metres above land. I turned my attention to the weather first. The sky was a tinge of red with many clouds that were releasing water from their storages. The rain wasn't the most pleasing thing but the red tint in the sky reminded me of the countless times I had seen the sky whilst at Fenrir HQ. There wasn't many times that the sun was out and I wasn't allowed out while it was raining because it carried some sort of disease. I thought it preposterous at first but then I saw some of the victims. They had taken very ill and were refused entry into HQ. I never understood it at the time and protested against their decision but what could one person do against the whole of the HQ. I decided to take my focus away from the weather and instead looked to the scenery below the helicopter. From what I could see, there were many ruins of destroyed cities. There were very few building that were still intact if I was to judge from the outer appearance. Who knows what it would be like inside? Many Aragami could have nested there. I hear a roar and look towards the source of the sound. I find an Aragami in a battle pose on a hill a reasonable distance away. It was too far away to do any damage to the helicopter and so I breathed a sigh of relief. The Aragami wasn't even looking in our direction. Getting a better look at it, I noticed it was a quadruped with some kind of cape on its back. I noticed its cape rise and electricity flow around it as it fired at a smaller creature that I could not identify. Another roar brings my attention to another quadruped also with a red cape but this one had more of a wolf-like face rather than the tiger-like face of the one that roared before it. Nevertheless, this one had noticed the helicopter and while it may not have attacked us, its roar still managed to scare me to death. I sharply turn my attention back to the pilot,

"When is soon?!" I ask in a panic and he points in front of us with an annoyed sigh.

"That's where I'm dropping you off." I follow his finger and see a relatively large vessel floating on the water below us. I give a relieved sigh as my destination draws significantly closer.

As soon as the helicopter landed, I was taken inside of the vessel by two security guards dressed in a green military uniform. There were no words uttered between any of us but we soon arrived at a large door to which one of the security guards opened and the other pushed me in before they both took their leave. I would have responded to this but I find myself entranced by the scene that lays before my eyes. A young woman with long blond hair with a stylish birdcage hat and dressed in dark mourning clothes sat on a wheelchair in front of a stain glass window with a saint on it. The woman's hands were positioned to make it seem as though she was praying to it. All that was missing was an angelic chorus.

"The Restless God sings, my child, at the rise of a new mythology. Such a sweet symphony. And its prelude shall begin with thee." The woman spoke suddenly and raised her head in my direction and I retreated slightly in shock.

"Erm... What?" I managed to squeeze out, still surprised at her voice.

"Worry not, my child. We will conduct a test to see if you are truly worthy of joining the ranks of my Blood Unit." She states with a smile and I find myself becoming relaxed. I smile back and give a nod of my head, accepting this test.

"I'm happy to see you accept the test but have you no voice?" She looks at me inquisitively and I find myself blushing in embarrassment.

"S-Sorry ma'am. I was just in shock at how suddenly you had spoke." My words stumble over each other. It was clear to say that she knew I was nervous. As if picking up on this thought, she speaks,

"Don't panic, child. This test is just to make sure you are definitely a match for the Bias Factor." She tells me reassuringly but when you don't know what the last part of the sentence means it gives the opposite effect. Nevertheless, I plastered a smile upon my face,

"Uhm... Sure." I scratch the back of my head nervously.

"Wonderful. Now, what I need you to do is to walk down the stairs in the corner" She points to the corner, "and enter the room. You will find a table to which you will lay on and prepare for further instructions. Is that acceptable?" She asks me and I find myself thinking that this test will be quick and easy.

"Of course." I tell her and start walking towards the corner.

After walking down the stairs and into the room, I notice that apart from a large machine in the middle of it the room is rather empty. I see the table near the machine and head towards it, as instructed by the woman in the wheelchair. My breath hitches as I approach the machine and I feel my hands starting to shake quite a bit. Even if I thought that it would be a simple test, my body seems to think otherwise. It is almost like my body can sense something bad is going to happen. Then again, this is usually how I felt when I was accompanied outside of Fenrir HQ; even if I was protected by a God Eater, you never know exactly how much Aragami could appear and what would happen if the God Eater was too busy protecting their own life than to help me? It probably would have died very quickly and become a meal for some Aragami. I lay onto the table but I still feel nervous.

"Please, try to relax." The woman's voice comes through over an intercom and I feel myself relaxing as she speaks.

"After all, you were chosen to be here." I find comfort in her voice.

"I shall now test your God Arc compatibility and your potential to join the Anti-Aragami Punitive Force. The God Eaters. After analysing your blood samples, we have deemed you worthy of joining us and we've seen no rejection of the Bias Factor from your blood." I notice how the woman changes from speaking about herself, as suggested by "I", to speaking about others as well but I pay no attention to it as I find myself being intrigued by the device that raised from under the floor at about head-height. The device then flattens and shows me a God Arc.

"I say "test" but please, don't concern yourself with such words. All will be well, I assure you." I move my right hand so that it hovers over the handle of the God Arc.

"The Restless God knows all about your nascent potential. Hahaha!" There was something about her chuckle that made me relax more. I know it sounds weird but she just has a lovely voice. I am so distracted by this that I don't notice that the machine has moved down and is positioned over my wrist until the woman says,

"I wish you the best of luck." The machine starts spinning in an anti-clockwise motion, I would hhave given more details but

"AAHHHH!" I screamed as the device connected an armlet to my wrist and drilled it in. The pain was unbearable. It was like the scraping of a chisel on human bones. I then noticed that there was a burning sensation adrift the chisel-on-bone action. It was as if someone had thrown me into an active volcano and I was floating in the lava. I fell off the table and onto the stone cold floor with a loud thud as I continued to scream in agony. All I could think to do was to grab my God Arc. The black mist that surrounded my arm may suggest that I've been without my God Arc for too long, especially since I am only just becoming a God Eater. I would need to give my body a chance to adjust to the Arc. I clambered onto my feet with great difficulty and walked around the table to my Arc, keeping hold of the table to help me walk. Once I'd gotten around to it, I lifted my Arc up from its case where it suddenly felt as though the gravity levels had increased. My Arc fell to the floor and my knees followed it but I made sure to keep my grip on it. The searing pain in my wrist was starting to lessen and the amount of black mist that my armlet was giving out also decreased. It took several more seconds before I was able to find the energy to stand up again. Of course, I used my Arc for balance.

"Congratulations." The female's voice came over the intercom and she sounded pleased. This helped to relax me as I fought to regain my breath.

"You have risen where others would fall. You have become... A God Eater." I acknowledge this information by inspecting my Arc and giving it a few swings. I notice my Arc looks to be a short, silver sword.

"Soon, the power that sings through your veins will be awakened. You will be welcomed into our elite special forces, the Blood Unit." I listen whilst continuing to inspect my Arc; wanting to know about every inch of the weapon that will defend me. I also notice that while my armlet is still giving off a black mist, it appears to have lessened by a significant amount.

"Blood are my chosen soldiers. Superior to all other God Eaters. My finest warriors will herald a new dawn for all humankind. For now, rest. You must recover your full strength. I expect great things..." The voice stops and I give one final slash of my Arc before putting it down in the same case that I took it from. The case then retreats into the ground.

"We will take care of your God Arc. You should go through the door to your left to meet a person, like yourself, who has become a new member of the Blood unit." The woman gives me a new instruction and I look to my left to see a door. It's funny how I hadn't noticed it before but I couldn't blame myself. I had been nervous about this whole ordeal but now I felt a new power surge within me. I walked out of the room through said door.


	2. Chapter 2

**A New God Eater's Journey**

Chapter 2

DISCLAIMER: I DO NOT OWN THE GOD EATER FRANCHISE HOWEVER I DO OWN MY OC.

Name: Cedrick Esparza

Gender: Male

Hairstyle: Style 7 (Dark Brown)

Also, please leave a review.

I walked into the room through the door, whose existence I hadn't noticed before, and saw another individual sitting on a black cloth covered bench with a rather large, white bag. I may as well meet this person I thought after a while and deciding to sit opposite her. The person looks up in slight surprise as I sit down and I notice that this God Eater is female.

"Hey there! So you've just become a God Eater too?!" She looks to my wrist to see my Armlet. I give her a nod in response and take the time to look her over. I must say that she is an attractive woman. She has fair skin and blue-black hair with three yellow cross barretes to hold it up. The two tufts of hair reminded me of a cat. She wears a very short, white tube top that only conceals part of her breasts as well as a short pink hoodie with a black coloured hood. Additionally, she wears a pair of pink gloves and black armwraps with black pants and a white belt with a golden buckle. Completing her attire is a pair of black and pink riding boots with her right leg wearing some sort of a black legging while her left leg has a belt strap instead. Quite an unusual blend of clothes. It made my long sleeve black jacket and trousers seem basic in comparison. Not that I would want to partake in a 'who can dress the most extravagantly' competition with the woman.

"You have any experience battling Aragami?" The woman questions me before happily taking a bite out of a large sandwich she is holding.

"That's a rather stupid question isn't it? I mean, I've only just become a God Eater." I replied. I may have sounded harsh and gave off a bad impression but she didn't honestly expect me to have battling experience, right?

"Oh, yeah. I guess it was a stupid question, huh." She says with a large smile on her face which means I mustn't have made a bad impression, to which I smile back.

"I'm Nana Kozuki, Cadet Second Class! Haha! I just got brought up too! It's so awesome to meet you!" The more she talked, the more relaxed I felt. I was making a new friend already and it was one who seemed to be always light-hearted. However, this cat really wasn't picky with her food as she finishes what looks to be a 6 inch sandwich in several bites.

"You like your food, huh?" I ask in order to make conversation since it was pretty obvious that she did like her food.

"I sure do." She says with a mouth full of food, something which I didn't really like to see, nevertheless she continued between mouthfuls. "Who doesn't? Deliciousness is universal?"

"Well I have to agree with you there. There is nothing like a good bit of meat." I comment and pat my stomach. That reminds me, have I eaten anything since I arrived here?

"Exactly! A God Eater's gotta keep their strength up. Eating's just another form of training right? Right." As if to prove her point she pulls out two sandwiches from the white bag that I had noticed earlier.

"By the way, as a token of our newfound friendship. Ta-da! Sammich!" It was a rather cute gesture and I took the sandwich from her hands.

"Thanks!" I say gratefully before taking a bite. The flavours in the sandwich all melded together and formed one big flavour, at least that's what I thought was supposed to happen. Instead, all I could taste was the bread, everything else seemed to disappear. Nana probably added a ton of ingredients to add more taste without realising that the taste of the other things can be overpowered.

"You like it? It's my mom's secret-super-special recipe! An amazing oden sandwich! I betcha love it, right?" She said with large smile on her face that I thought that it would be her natural expression.

"Uhm... Nana. All I can taste is the bread..." I told her what I thought of it as I moved the sandwich around in my hands to see if there was anything wrong with it.

"Well, that just means that your tongue isn't prepared for all of the flavours, er... What was your name again?" Nana asks and it dawns upon me that I haven't introduced myself yet.

"Oh, right. I'm Cedrick Esparza and as you already know, I am a new recruit, like yourself."

"Cedrick huh?" She seems to think to herself before demolishing the rest of her sandwich.

"Well, it's good to meet ya Cedrick!"

 _Will Nana Kozuki please report to Training Room 2. Will Nana Kozuki please report to Training Room 2._

We hear a voice from seemingly out of nowhere.

"Oops! Training starts any minute now! I almost totally zoned! Sandwiches are a blessing and a curse." Nana says and I begin to question her infatuation with such a simple food. Most people would like the more extravagant foods but I guess that she isn't exactly normal is she? I know a lot of people that have become God Eaters due to living in Fenrir HQ for a long time and only a few of them were as excited as she was. Nevertheless, I hope to keep her on the team and that her smile will never diminish.

"Sorry, gotta run!" She tells me as she picks up the large, white sack containing all of her food and I begin to wonder if cats hibernate. "See you soon!" She starts running to the training room but turns back towards me before she leaves the room.

"Oh, hey! I'll be really mad if you leave even a single crumb! So enjoy! Hehe!" The light spirited cat bounces off towards the training room.

5 Minutes later another person enters the room to which I have been told to linger in. The person is the woman whose voice calms me in an instant. I don't know how it had that effect but it was very soothing. Kind of like the mother I have been missing for many years.

"I see you've been acquainted with Ms. Nana Kozuki." Doctor Rachel moves so that she is sitting in front of me and sees about 1 mouthful of bread still in my hands.

"Yeah, she's rather lively isn't she?" I ask the Doctor whom responds with a smile and a tilt of the head.

"It's nice to have energetic team mates, is it not?"

"Of course it is. It's just that most God Eaters I know are usually all depressed." I comment with a reciprocating smile on my face, wanting to not seem like one of these depressed God Eaters.

"You've just admitted that you know God Eaters that aren't depressed. Surely it would be better to work with the more energetic ones?" She says with a slight bit of concern on her face. "Or are you the type to not get along with others very well?"

"No, no, it's not that. There's nothing wrong with being so bouncy but don't you think that if they become God Eaters then after a while... They may not be so energetic anymore." I tell her of my worries with having a lively team mate.

"Then it is your job to keep your team mates happy. Make them all get along with each other and nothing will stop you all from becoming the very best of God Eaters." She replies with a slightly larger smile than before.

"I intended to make my team mates happy anyway. No matter whom I am working with. If they're happy then so am I." A determined smile crosses my face and I notice that Doctor Rachel's smile widens. She just gave me the extra push I needed to see it for myself.

"Perfect. That's what I want to see in Blood and you will make it happen. Thank you Cedrick, make me proud." She leaves me at that and it isn't very long until I also leave the room as I hear another voice,

 _Will Cedrick Esparza please report to Training Room 3. Will Cedrick Esparza please report to Training Room 3._

"One of the most crucial tasks in any conflict is to understand your surroundings. Take a look around." A male voice I am not privy to commands me. I assume this to be the training instructor and do as he says. Looking around the room, the only real highlights are the two different sized platforms opposite each other. The walls were a boring pattern of one yellow strip, numerous metallic blue zigzags and a wall of three bricks tall going around the entire room.

"Good looking. Now then, focus straight ahead." I do as the instructor asks whilst reflecting on his comment. 'Good looking' can there ever be 'bad looking'?

"All right. Your keen eyes work well enough. Next, to movement." The instructor comments simply. I've been using my eyes for my entire life, there's no way I would fail that part of the training drill.

"Those two raised platforms there. Go ahead and climb them, if you will. Sometimes that difference in elevation can be the difference between victory and defeat." I followed his orders and approached the smaller platform first. It couldn't be called small because it was still taller than me, albeit only just but I managed to jump and grab onto it with one hand; pulling the rest of my body up after it. After completing this one, I headed towards the taller one. There was no way I'd be able to jump onto it the same way I did for the smaller one. The only thing I could do is to get a head-start. I ran towards the ledge and jumped at the last second. I don't know if being a God Eater enhances your jumping but I managed to grip onto the ledge with most of my upper body. I pulled myself up and looked over the training field full of pride as if I had just completed my first mission.

"Always be conscious of your stamina. Pushing too hard and losing your breath could end in death. Let's get a quick warm up in. Why don't you run around for a bit." I followed the instructor's orders and got off of the ledge and proceeded to run for around 30 seconds or so. I was out of breath.

"Excellent! Feeling good? Now on to the key of your life as a God Eater. Combat."

"Finally, I get to learn how to fight." I start clenching and unclenching my God Arc, raring to go.

"That weapon you wield is a God Arc, the only tool capable of harming an Aragami. Well, until recently but that is not important." As the instructor says this, a shimmering silver monster appears from the ground.

"This must be my enemy." I say aloud and cautiously approach the target. I take the time to look at it in detail. The Aragami appeared to have one large eye and seemed to be covered in a long bandage. It noticed me approaching and started preparing an attack. Something that looked like an orb appeared over its head before the monster launched it at me. I managed to side step and dodge it.

"Okay then. What else do you have?" I say rhetorically and make a note of its every movement. After a few more attempts to hit me with an orb, I deem it unworthy of continuing the battle and end it with a few swift stabs of my God Arc.

"It is interesting that you decided to analyse it first but if you read the files on NORM you won't need to analyse unless you encounter an undocumented Aragami. Regardless, your God Arc is more versatile than you might imagine. It can switch to a ranged weapon, Gun Form. Transform your God Arc and fire at those simulacra." The instructor tells me but what he doesn't tell me is how to transform my weapon which is really inconvenient as two more of those Aragami appear. Within seconds, I am forced to avoid two spherical attacks from the Aragami with a sharp side step.

"Shit! Is there a button for this thing?!" I started to panic, fearing for my life.

"Relax. There should, indeed, be a button on your Arc. It should be above the handle." The instructor tells me and I locate the button and press it. My Arc then transforms and I can identify it as being a shotgun.

"A shotgun?! Are you serious?!" I shout desperately. A shotgun had to be the worst possible choice.

"If you dislike your God Arc you can make changes to it after your training drills." My instructor tells me whilst I am busy firing bullets at ultra-close range.

"Yeah, yeah, I'll do that later." I heard him but was more concerned on killing the Aragami and after another shot, they both die.

"Attacks in Gun Form use Oracle Power. Always watch closely to make sure you don't tire yourself out. These are the absolute basics. Now go ahead and Devour those Aragami. There will be another button near the handle that allows you to Devour. You can gain rare materials from doing this." I follow his order and Devour without a problem.

"Perfect. Now, let's move onto the next one." He says and I groan in response.

Another 10 minutes pass before I complete both of my training missions and head into an area known as the "Den". I look around the place and notice numerous computer contraptions as well as a lower floor. I decide to walk to the woman who is sitting behind the desk.

"Hello." I greet the woman.

"Ah, you must be Cedrick. I am your operator, Fran. I hope we will work very well together." The woman introduces herself as Fran.

"If you don't mind, I'm a little busy at the moment. Maybe you'd like to see your friend on the lower floor." She tells me before resuming work on her computer. She strikes me as a polite individual but heavily work-orientated. I give a goodbye before seeing this 'friend' she mentioned. I notice a familiar head with cat-like ears.

"Nana." I speak up and sit beside her.

"Hey Cedrick! How did training go?" She asked and for the first time I had seen her, she wasn't eating a sandwich.

"It was exhausting. I did two training sessions in one go. How did yours go?" I asked her the question she asked me in order to keep the conversation going.

"No problem at all!" Nana says before we are interrupted.

"I've never seen you two around here before." A male dressed for the winter weather speaks up. The man sports short blond hair with a customised hat that covers most of it as well as an orange and white small jacket with the collar extended outwards. It covers the male's black shirt with a gold coloured zipper as well as black and white striped sleeves and chequered shoes. He also wars light blue cargo trousers.

"Hi there." Nana greets him as we both stand and give a little bow.

"Oh! You're the new recruits everyone has been talking about!" The man steps back a little as he realises this.

"Yes, sir! We're both really excited to work with you, sir!" Nana says politely for the both of us and each give another bow.

"Sir...? Haha! That has a nice ring to it." The male says as he reflects upon the term of address.

"The name's Romeo." The man introduces himself as he sits opposite us. Nana and I sit down as well.

"If there's anything you need to know, I'm your guy. Ask away." He rubs his hands before crossing his arms. I assume he is preparing himself to answer our questions.

"I'll tell you one thing, though. Blood is tough! So you'd better be ready to give it your all." As he says this, a question comes into my mind. I decide to voice it,

"I've overheard a few things about something called a Blood Power. What is it?" I ask with genuine curiosity. It must be related to the unit I am now in and I want to know what it is.

"Er... Well... Good question! Hmm..." I appear to have asked a difficult question. "Basically it's this thing and it lets you learn a special skill and yeah. Our Captain's really incredible!" Romeo tells us which reminds me that I haven't met the Captain yet.

"That's so cool" So can you tell us about your special skill, sir, Romeo, sir?" Nana asks and I can feel the energy radiating from her. She must be excited.

"H-Hey, come on! Don't ask that kinda thing. I-It's not easy to get a special skill! Kinda personal." At first I thought Romeo was being modest but it sounds like he doesn't have this special skill yet and seems too nervous to continue, as told by his next words,

"Oh, I know! Why don't you take those questions to Dr. Rachel. She's the one who founded Blood. In fact, I'll take you now. Follow me." Romeo got up from his hair and promptly started moving. We followed.

"It seems question and answer time is over already." I whisper to Nana.

"Did I say something I shouldn't have?" She asks me in confusion and I shake my head. I didn't really know why Romeo acted like that but he clearly didn't want to continue talking.

Upon arriving at Doctor Rachel's laboratory, she invited us to sit on the couch telling us that she was just about to call for the three of us. Nana sat in the middle of Romeo and I.

"Welcome, new Cadets of the Blood Unit. I had planned to host an official dinner, however..." Doctor Rachel's soothing voice was cut off by Nana turning to Romeo,

"Huh? You're just a Cadet, too?" I must admit that he did present himself as a higher rank.

"Nana! Shut up! You don't know who she is?!" Was Romeo's response and their antics earned a light chuckle from the Doctor. It was like music to my ears.

"Hehe... I'm glad to see you all getting along so well. Today, I'm going to share with you the mission and purpose of the elite Blood Unit."

"Cool! We're all ears, ma'am!" Romeo responded for the three of us.

"Aragami brought mankind to the brink of ruin. Only God Eaters had the power to hold back the tide. It is our aim to usher in a new era. Blood is the best of the best. Superior to any God Eater."

"Woah! Awesome! Yeah, we are! With Julius and our special powers, nothing can stop us!" Romeo seemed to be bursting with excitement as this new information, clearly he will let this go to his head and he'll brag about it.

"Precisely. You are chosen. Your strength of will lies dormant in your veins, but can be members of our unit undergo this awakening, they will uplift and inspire other God Eaters." The Doctor finished her explanation before looking at each of us individually. "Romeo... Nana... And you, Cedrick, as well as Captain Julius. As members of Blood, it is your duty to lead the God Eaters, to teach them of their true potential. Right now, the Blood Power lies quiet inside you, but I know you have the will to quicken it. I eagerly await that day." She finishes her lecture with a heart warming smile.

"I won't let you down Doctor Rachel." Romeo speaks up with a determined expression on his face.

"You'll do great, Romeo!" Nana expresses her confidence in her team mate with a large smile which unnerves Romeo.

"H-Hey! You're Blood too, you know?! You've got to awaken your potential with us!" Romeo stammers out but gets his message across.

"Oh and Cedrick?" Doctor Rachel's heavenly voice brings my attention back to her. "I've been told that Captain Julius would like to have a word with you. He said he'd be waiting in the garden." She tells me to my shock. Had I done something wrong?

"In trouble with the Captain already, Cedrick?" Romeo throws a rhetorical question towards me using a mischievous tone.

"Naughty Cedrick!" Nana joins in on the heckling.

"Oh, shut up." I speak before leaving my seat and out of the laboratory in search of the garden. It surprises me that a ship can have a garden but nevertheless I set forth to find it.


	3. Chapter 3

**A New God Eater's Journey**

Chapter 3

DISCLAIMER: I DO NOT OWN THE GOD EATER FRANCHISE HOWEVER I DO OWN MY OC.

Name: Cedrick Esparza

Gender: Male

Hairstyle: Style 7 (Dark Brown)

Also, please leave a review.

It took a few minutes to find the garden but its beauty truly astounded me. Multiple species of flowers were present and made the garden feel very colourful. The few petals in the air seemed to dance in the wind as it blew through small windows placed high up in the glass dome. The sun's rays shone down upon the garden and made it look like the scenes that I was shown in story books of what the world was like before the Aragami invasion. The view of the outside world was also awe inspiring. The sky was almost devoid of any clouds, allowing the bright blue sky to show as if it were a painting. These thoughts were halted as I noticed a figure leaning against a tall tree. I walked to this figure, assuming it to be Captain Julius whom I was told needed to see me.

"Ah, I wish to congratulate you on your training drills. Truly remarkable results." The man says as I approach him. I took the time to notice his ensemble. He wears a jacket with half-length sleeves with a thin red bow attached to the front zipper, as well as a white button-down shirt. Underneath this is a purple cardigan, a black collar with a gold buckle around his neck as well as a pair of black trousers and sturdy boots. He appears to sport the black outfit and gold accents look.

"I'm glad of your success." The man tells me and I realise that this voice is the same voice I heard for my training drills.

"You should know I passed, right?" I take a seat not too far away from him, leaning against the tree like he was before. "You were my instructor." All thoughts of him being the Captain had been erased from my mind. Why would the Captain watch me train?

"This is the most peaceful location on Friar. I come here when I have free time, to reflect." He leans back against the tree and closes his eyes.

"It definitely seems to be a tranquil place." I speak up, confirming his thoughts about the garden's serenity.

"Yes. It truly is beautiful. My apologies," Julius raises his head from the tree trunk and I do the same, "I haven't properly introduced myself. My name is Julius Visconti." The man identifies himself and I suddenly have a revelation. This man is the captain?! He didn't seem like the type! Then again, Doctor Rachel told me that the Captain should be in the garden and seeing how there is nobody else around, it must be him!

"I serve as Captain of the Blood Special Forces unit, which you have recently joined." Julius confirms my thoughts and I must admit, seeming so laid back in front of the Captain must have gave him a bad impression of me. My hands start to sweat a bit and I run them through my hair.

"Please, no need to be nervous. I'm rather looking forward to working with you. In fact, seeing as how it is still light outside, and I have been rather impressed about yours and Nana's test results, how about the three of us take the final test?" His tone seems to say that I cannot refuse his request and I anxiously nod my head.

"I call it field training, but it a way, it is another test."

"Shouldn't we tell Nana about this before we decide?" I ask him, still a little nervous about starting another test so soon after the training.

"There's no need. I'm sure that Doctor Rachel has already told Nana about the mission. I specifically requested to tell you since I hadn't had the chance to meet you yet." He explains to me very easily.

"Oh, okay then. So, I'll get ready for the test." I'm still anxious but I try to push myself to smile. He mustn't have noticed this as he smiles back.

"Good. Then you'll need your God Arc. Oh, and bring some Restore Pills. You may need them." He says before standing up and walking away.

"And try to leave your nervousness behind with you. In a battle, it could mean the difference between life and death. I believe I've already told you this, haven't I?" He turns his head slightly towards me as he asks his question before leaving the garden.

"Well, I best get moving." I say to myself before standing up, stretching out and leaving the garden.

After our exchange I headed towards the God Arc Storage Area which was on one of the lower floors on Friar. In there I happened to run into Nana.

"Captain Julius told you about the field training, right?" She asks me with a head tilt to which I confirm with a nod of my head. "I'm sure we won't be fighting any actual Aragami, though." I nod my head before moving around Nana to where my God Arc was stored, right beside hers.

"Either way, it must be dangerous out there... Oh man, all this worrying is making me hungry. Let's hurry and complete this test and grab a bite to eat!" In a matter of seconds, Nana had turned from being concerned to deeply motivated to complete the test and return to eat her weight in sandwiches.

"Well, I'm with you when you say to get this over with. That way we can finally rest. That reminds me, have you been shown to your room yet?" I ask, wondering where it is that we were supposed to sleep. I manage to unlock my God Arc and walk towards the exit. I may as well wait for Nana seeing as how we were completing the test together.

"Now that you mention it, no I haven't. Well let's hope that they show us after we've passed this test." Nana says as she lugs a massive hammer over her shoulders, my Kurogane Knife pales in comparison.

"Let's hope so." Nana and I leave the God Arc Storage Area and head to our next destination. The outside world.

The two of us were walking down a long, narrow road before we saw any glimpse of Julius. He appeared to be talking but to whom I am unsure. As we approach him, I notice that he is holding his ear and I assume he is wearing an ear piece.

"My apologies, Fran. I simply have a great deal of confidence in them. I wish to see their talents first hand." With the mention of a name, I am able to deduce that he is talking to Fran and, upon Nana's questioning, I inform her of who Julius is talking to.

"I haven't met her yet. I'll have to meet her after this test!" she jumps and fist bumps the air. She is either very excited for the test or very excited to meet the Operator.

"Yes, of course." Julius speaks again and we approach him. "Good you're here." Julius turns around to greet us. We salute him in response with Nana speaking for the both of us,

"Cadet Second Class Nana Kozuki, reporting for duty in the Blood Special Forces unit, sir! I'm so super proud to be here!" Nana's excitement seems to bring me excitement as well. Julius lightly chuckles before using a serious tone.

"Now, without further ado, let's begin your field training."

"What?" Nana speaks her confusion and tilts her head with it. She really reminds me of a cat.

"Look out there. Those are the beasts that threaten the future of the human race. The Aragami." Julius says as he walks slightly closer to the edge. I look to the area in front of him to find two Ogretails happily engorging on an Aragami that I haven't seen too often. The last time I had seen one was when I was on the helicopter to reach Friar. It looks like a tiger but with a cape.

"How you slay them is of no concern, but do not halt until they stop breathing. Understood?" Julius turns his head around as he asks us.

"Wait, you mean we... We're fighting Aragami like right now? Like f-for real?" Nana says nervously and I would be lying if I said that I wasn't feeling the same way. Nevertheless I place a hand on her shoulder to give her a bit of comfort. I let go as Julius rotates the rest of his body and speaks up,

"Indeed, Cadet. You would learn little if you never fought on a real battlefield. Simply do all that I know you can, and those monsters will pose no threat. All right?" As Julius asks if we understand an Ogretail jumps up from behind him. Thinking quickly I grab Nana and put my body on the line to save her. I feel her lay her head on my shoulder. I felt scared that the Captain would die so easily but I was too far away from him to save him and so I grabbed Nana with the hope of saving her and not wanting her to see Julius' death. We haven't even been on one mission together and already the Captain has died. I hear Nana shuffle from my shoulder and look up,

"He's fine." She whispers and I let go of her as I turn around. I must admit that when I held her to me that she felt very warm but she was also small. I also liked the pressure from her chest but I can't think about that now! Paying attention to Julius, I notice that he has somehow stopped the Ogretail with an arm. It defies all logic but he actually is only using the one arm to halt it. The beast looks to have been very heavy and yet, with one swoop of his God Arc, Julius defeats the monster effortlessly. Julius chuckles lightly in response and I take the time to regain my breath. I notice Nana catching hers as well.

"Humanity has faced enemies since ancient times. Humanity has always prevailed. I know we do not have sharp fangs and rending claws to face off against our foes. But we have gifts they do not posses: strategy, unity, cooperation and, most of all, the strength of will that binds us together." He turns around and faces the open area. "Willpower is the fiercest weapon - our fiercest weapon. Never forget that." He approaches the ledge.

"It's time. Forward!" He jumps from it, leaving Nana and I up here. We look to each other before jumping off the ledge as well.

Julius beings running towards the closest Ogretail and starts slashing at it. Numerous volumes of blood come squirting out of its body with each and every swipe. I've witnessed events like this before so this is normal for me. What isn't normal, however, is that I will be the one that is killing them. I headed off in a different direction and heard Nana trailing behind me. When I turn back to her, she speaks up,

"I don't think I'd be able to handle one by myself, so for now, I'll be helping you out!" She speaks and it is easy to detect the nervousness in her voice but she still has an unwavering, determined expression. I nod back to her, agreeing that it is unlikely that we could both solo any Aragami on our first mission. The closest Aragami we see happens to look like an overgrown beetle. It's only alarming feature appears to be a large horn on the front of its head so if we can avoid that, we can avoid damage. I take a swipe at the Aragami and gain its attention immediately. I run around to the back of it and begin slashing again. Nana is shooting at it as well and therefore it doesn't take long to kill. I harvest its materials by Devouring the core.

"Cedrick, move!" Nana's voice alerts me to the fact that there wasn't just one Aragami. There were more. About four more to be exact. Three more overgrown bugs and one Ogretail. It just so happens that the Ogretail has launched itself towards me. I manage to deploy my shield in time as its fangs scrape across it and I take a few swipes at it before stabbing at twice. Although it was hurt by my attacks, it didn't die and so I transformed my Arc into its Gun Form and shot three bullets at close range, taking its life instantly. Something, painlessly, hits me in the back. I rotate my head to see Julius has his back to me as well.

"Pay attention to your surroundings!" He shouts and I notice an overgrown bug dead at his feet. I must have been that Aragami's target. Nevertheless, with two monsters left, the three of us clearly outnumber them. Nana and I take one of the giant bugs in which our roles are reversed so that she is attacking in her Arcs Melee form whilst I'm shooting at it. Julius soon takes care of the other one and after another bullet from my Arc and another plummeting hit from Nana's hammer, our target is dead as well. I allow Nana to Devour its core.

"Well, that went-" I begin but quickly get interrupted by an ecstatic Nana.

"We... We beat them! Hooray! We beat them!" Our victory is short-lived though as Fran's voice comes through our earpieces.

"We have multiple Aragami responses on our scanners. It's close!" Upon this new news, I begin thinking that today will never end. First of all I had to complete consecutive training courses, then we had to defeat multiple Aragmi and now we have to defeat more.

"More of them!" I say through exasperated breaths.

"What breed?" Julius responds to Fran.

"Ogretails."

"Very well. Arcs up, prepare to defend yourselves!" Julius shouts and is met with the groans of Nana and I. We were exhausted. We had better get the chance to rest!

A few minutes later and the Ogretails arrive. Nana and I run towards them but stop a safe distance away, determined not to let them pass any further.

"Cadets, you've done well today." Julius begins as he walks past us and closer to the Aragami. He's either very courages or insane.

"This is an ideal opportunity to demonstrate the abilities you are to awaken." Julius explains. Abilities? What abilities does he- Oh, does he mean Blood Power? As soon as I think this, Julius takes a pose before I suddenly feel very energised.

"Oh, wow! So awesome!" Nana comments, taking the words right out of my mouth.

"I focus that willpower to execute a Blood Art. Stand fast!"

"What's a Blood Art?" Nana questions with a tilt of her head.

"A talent that can shift the very tide of battle in your favour. Blood Arts are innate skills, forged of the fire in your veins." Julius explains what Romeo failed to do beforehand and assumes another pose before striking down all three Ogretails and stopping about ten metres in front of us. The Ogretails all disappear into the ground. A process that I will need to ask about in the future.

"That was a Blood Art." He informs us as he brushes away any dirt on his clothing. Nana and I relax our Arcs since we have no enemy to face.

"This power within us will constantly develop and strengthen as we do. With it, we can face any Aragami. Always remember that this is a part of you. Nothing can stand against it." Nana and I nod our heads in acceptance of Julius' words.

"It's about time we head back. You've fought very well for your first day. Not even I had to complete three tests in one day. You should be very proud of yourselves." Julius says as we begin our walk back to Friar.

"Oh, I am! After all I've been able to accomplish today, nothing can make today any worse!" Nana speaks her happiness over her progress today.

"That's great. When we get back to Friar I will show you to your rooms. There, you will rest into tomorrow when we have another mission." Julius replies in a slightly happy tone. I can't really identify much emotion in his voice. Is it because, as a Captain, Julius doesn't want us to know how he feels?

"Well, I am exhausted. I'll probably fall asleep as soon as I hit the pillow." I speak up for the first time in a while.

"Well then, get plenty of rest. Tomorrow we will be having a harder mission." Julius declares with slight humour in his voice.

The next day, I get a rude wake up call from one of Friar's guards.

"Mr. Esparza! Doctor Rachel would like to talk to you!" The guard shouts as he bans against the door to my room.

"All right! All right!" I shout in exasperation. I didn't really get much rest, what with this being a foreign bed to my body. Nevertheless, if a person with such a soothing voice like Doctor Rachel needs me then I'll be there in a heartbeat. Within one minute, I have managed to put on my new Fenrir clothes and headed into Doctor Rachel's laboratory.

"You've done very well to have completed your first mission." The sweet voice of Doctor Rachel calls to me as I approach her. Her voice is like a drug that I cannot get enough of. If I hadn't heard her voice yesterday then I'm sure it would have been a lot tougher to have gotten through the day.

"I see great potential in you. I'm sure you will soon gain your Blood Power and Blood Arts." It feels great to be praised but I have a question that needs answered.

"What are Blood Arts?" I ask with curiosity drawn on my features to which the Doctor chuckles. As heavenly as though that may be, I'd still like an answer.

"Once your Blood Power unchains your inner spirit, it will unlock powerful techniques - Blood Arts. They might give you unimaginable power or release Oracle Cells and augment your God Arc attack. Blood Arts heighten a soldier's combat capabilities or inndividual traits to their utmost limit."

"Is Blood Power the same?"

"Blood Art techniques are tied to a God Arc. Blood Powers are inborn, unique to each person. Julius' Blood Power takes control of and buoys his allies' God Arcs, granting them Burst Mode." Doctor Rachel explains and I think back to yesterday when I suddenly felt energised. It must have been Burst Mode.

"You might not acquire the same power as Julius. Different people gain different abilities." Doctor Rachel finishes her informative speech.

"Thank you. I will do you proud." I bow as I speak to which I hear her chuckle.

"Haha, I'm sure you will. I look forward to the day that your Blood Power awakens. A Blood Power lies within all members of Blood. I wonder what ability will blossom within you." With our conversation ended, I left her room, only to hear Fran call my name over the intercom.

 _Will Cedrick Esparza, Nana Kozuki and Romeo Leoni please report to the main entrance for mission briefing._

A mission already? Yeah, today seems like it will be a rough day...


	4. Chapter 4

**A New God Eater's Journey**

Chapter 4

DISCLAIMER: I DO NOT OWN THE GOD EATER FRANCHISE HOWEVER I DO OWN MY OC.

Name: Cedrick Esparza

Gender: Male

Hairstyle: Style 7 (Dark Brown)

A/N: In terms of pairing in this Fanfic, I am still undecided on what the pairing will be. I'm about 65% confident that it will be an OC x Ciel fanfic so it isn't guaranteed.

Also, please leave a review.

The mission wasn't a very hard one. In fact, it was deemed so easy that Julius refused to come along on the mission leaving Romeo, Nana and I to take care of it by ourselves. Even when we hadn't faced these Aragami before, it was really quite easy. One of our targets, which I now know to be a Cocoon Maiden, was rooted to the spot and had a limited range of attacks. The only real threat to look out for was its spikes which it could release from most parts of its body. Similarly, the other Aragami which I found out to be a Night Hollow was also relatively easy to defeat. It only had one attack and once you know it there is really no competition. It went down in less than 50 seconds. Right now, the three of us are chatting in the lobby. This will be a way to get to know each other better. I noticed a few voices from the upper level of the lobby but didn't pay much attention.

"Y'know, you guys are way too reckless, always charging in at the Aragami. You gotta stay back. You know, analyse the enemies' movements." Romeo commented on our lack of a plan to defeat the Aragami. His reason is a decent one but there is no point in analysing for too long. If we take too much time then other monsters could appear and that wouldn't be very good. I voice this to him and Nana seems to agree with me.

"Yeah! Watching all of its attacks sounds like being a chicken to me! Bwaaak-bwak-bwak-bwaaaak!" Nana puts her face within Romeo's personal space during her impression of a chicken.

"H-Hey, Nana! Gettin' kinda close there." Romeo stammers, clearly nervous at the situation. I would have found the time to laugh had Romeo not tripped into me, causing me to fall into somebody else.

"I'm sorry for that." I bow to the woman before putting my hands up as a sign that I didn't mean to cause any trouble. Romeo joins me in doing so.

"So sorry about - Aah!" He gasps and doesn't finish his apology. Surely the beautiful woman would find that rude but she never said anything about it, rather she didn't get the chance to as a large built man does it for her.

"What're you kids doing?!" He says with a swing of his arm before turning his attention to the victim, "Miss Yuno, I apologise for this behaviour." His tone is completely different to the one he used to scold us.

"Please, it's fine..." The woman, now known as Yuno, says with a voice rivalling the softness of Doctor Rachel's. Another figure joins us as she addresses the three of us.

"Careful there, you three, you shouldn't be horsing around in the lobby. I know you don't want to disturb our important guests." I look back to the woman known as Yuno as if questioning her importance. I would have to ask about that at some point but now wasn't the time.

"Right. Sorry, Doctor Leah... It won't happen again." Nana speaks in a soft, apologetic voice and she identifies the red head as Doctor Leah; someone I am still yet to meet.

"My apologies for those children." The large framed man spoke with disdain in his voice as he mentioned us. "I am ashamed. They're really only good for fighting, you know." The three of them began walking towards the lift and Nana and I turned back to Romeo to continue our conversation. At least, that's what I thought.

"Huh? I think we lost Romeo. What's with that weird look?" Nana comments on Romeo's daydreaming expression.

"Do you not know who that was? That's Yuno Ashihara! Aaah!" Romeo replies with a fanboyish squeal. Clearly he was excited about her presence. Nana and I, on the other hand, had no idea who this person was.

"Uh..." Nana tilts her head to the side as she observes Romeo's fanboy mode before turning towards me, "Do you know what he's talking about?" I raise my hands as if to say that I had no idea. Clearly it was the wrong thing to do,

"Are you kidding me right now?! That's Yuno! The most awesome ideal to ever live! She's sooo pretty!" During Romeo's speech, I decided to look back towards the woman in question. I had a feeling that she heard Romeo as she turns her head in our direction and catches me looking at her.

"I can't believe I almost touched her! Why?! The one time I don't have my camera!" I completely disregard Romeo at this point as I catch Yuno nodding her head towards me. I think that means that she accepted my apology and I nod back to thank her. She is a rather attractive figure so I can't help but feel my heart swoon as she nods. She turns her attention back to the lift as it arrives on this floor and I turn my attention back to the fanboy's squeals.

"Aaaah... Her scent lingers on my skin! I won't be taking a shower tonight, that's for sure!" Romeo says as he sniffs himself as if Yuno's scent was an addictive drug.

"Uh... Romeo..." Nana leans uncomfortably close to Romeo again, "I think everyone would appreciate it if you kept showering. Thanks!" She lifts her head out of his comfort zone as she finishes her speech.

"Not a chance! That was once-in-a-lifetime! A glimpse of Yuno! How do you not get this?!" Romeo's response makes Nana give an exasperated sigh.

"You said that she is an idol, what does she do exactly?" I ask Romeo, still confused as to what this person has accomplished to be able to have a fan as devoted to them as Romeo.

"Now this is a conversation I can really get into!" Romeo exclaims before he starts talking about Yuno. "Yuno Ashihara was born in Nemos Diana! She put that place on the map by becoming a famous singer! She travels all around the world and sings in most places that she visits! She has even released an album! W-wait here! I'll go and get it from my room! I'll let you borrow it!" Romeo says before rushing away. I'm not sure if he plans on educating me about her or making me a fan of her but if becoming a fan means that I'll act like Romeo just did then I'd rather not become one.

"What have you started?" Nana lets out another exasperated sigh. "I'm going to escape while I can. Have fun talking about idols." Nana walks away sounding annoyed and I really don't know why. What I do know is that Romeo isn't going to stop talking about Yuno for a while.

It takes Romeo about 15 minutes before he returns,

"So I couldn't find a copy..." He tells me in a dejected tone before sharply becoming enthusiastic and gossiping about Yuno for another 10 minutes. I don't even listen to him and just nod my head occasionally and say "yeah" at regular intervals.

"Actually, we should go and meet Yuno! She should be in Director Grem's office right now."

"Director Grem?" I repeat, confused at the name.

"You don't know who Director Grem is either?! Are you ignorant on purpose?!" I think that he has forgotten that I have only been here for one day. I would have voiced a reply but there was no time to as Romeo starts speaking again,

"Director Grem was the fat guy that was with Yuno." Romeo informs me. Oh, so we had an unofficial introduction.

"Anyway, we're talking about Yuno, not the Director. So what d'ya say?" Oh yeah, Romeo wanted to meet Yuno, didn't he?

"Well... I guess we could. We could say that, since I haven't formally introduced myself to the Director or the red headed lady-"

"Doctor Leah" Romeo interrupts, I do get annoyed but continue.

"we could just say I wanted to introduce myself and you were showing me the way to his office." I give our plan of action.

"Sweet! Good thinking! Let's go!" Romeo sprinted towards the lift and I followed albeit at a slower pace.

Upon approaching the Director's Office, I opened the doors without knocking. I did hear a small gasp from Romeo but we walked straight in and up to the Director's desk. Behind the desk was Director Grem and Doctor Leah.

"What on Earth are you two doing in here?!" The Director spoke in a deep voice. I began to regret walking straight in here and could feel the palms of my hands becoming wet. I try to wipe them on my trousers without being noticed. If anybody did then they didn't speak up about it.

"Huh? Where's Yuno?!" The fanboy began looking all around the room and I joined him, expecting the beauty to be in here. I may not be a fan of hers but I cannot deny that she is attractive.

"Likely in the helicopter on her way back to the Far East Branch." Doctor Leah spoke, crushing Romeo's dreams of meeting Yuno.

"No! We missed her..." It was easy to tell that Romeo sounded dejected. His once-in-a-lifetime opportunity had been taken from him. I almost expected him to start crying.

"Who are you, boy? Ah, wait. I remember. You're the second term Blood Cadets. I've seen your files." He says to Romeo before turning to me,"And you, what do you do? Are you Dr. Rachel's assistant or something?" He takes a puff of his cigar after his question and I find myself questioning what he actually does on Friar. If he has taken the liberty to read Romeo's files then why not mine?

"I am Cedrick Esparza. I am also a Blood Cadet. It's a pleasure to be here." There was something about the Director that I didn't like, causing me to clench my teeth as I spoke. The smoke from his cigar was all I could smell in the room and I hated it. I covered my mouth after I spoke, trying my best not to breath in the stench.

"Well spoken, soldier. Keep your nose clean and you may find a spot in my personal guard." The Director spoke and I despised the thought. I tried my best not to express my disgust at the thought and the scent of smoke in the room and caught a large smirk from Doctor Rachel beside him.

"Fenrir is a complex organisation. It's conservatives like me who keep the peace. Glory-hungry, idiot young upstarts and arrogant Branch types are always trying to stir things up. But I imagine you'll hear about that soon enough. Well, if you aim to succeed that is." The Director finally shuts up and I begin shuffling backwards towards the door whilst still facing him. Unfortunately for me, Romeo wasn't quite finished in here.

"You're rather popular, sir. I mean, you even know Yuno Ashihara! She's so incredible!" He began acting like a fanboy again at the mention of Yuno. He was seriously obsessed with her.

"Fool boy!" The Director's sudden shout shocks us both and I begin to feel the palms of my hands become wet again. "It's just for work Do I look like the type to mix military and civilian matters?"

"Sorry, I didn't mean-" Romeo tried to apologise but the Director cut him off.

"Enough! Stop wasting my time. Get back to fighting Aragami or whatever it is you do." Seeing this as official permission to leave his office, I was out of there in a heartbeat and was followed promptly by Romeo.

Upon leaving the Director's Office, the two of us didn't begin talking until we were a safe distance away.

"Damn it, what the hell was that? We didn't go in there to meet Director Grem." He sounded disappointed that he didn't get to meet the idol and I wasn't too surprised by it. What I was surprised by though was what he said next,

"Well, anyway, I see you in a new light now. You barged right into the Director's Office!" Romeo's sudden praise for me was unexpected but I was glad to see that I gave him a better image of me.

"Ah, there you two are." We hear Julius speak as he approaches us. We turn towards him to see Julius being accompanied by Nana and a new face. This new person is a tall man with dark brown shoulder-length hair with a scar on his face. As for his clothing, the man wears dark trousers, a purple jacket and a purple fur-lined hat. He didn't look too thrilled to be here.

"Julius? Who's the new guy?" Romeo asks as he approaches the purple clad man.

"This is Gilbert McLane. He is a new addition to our Blood Unit." Julius waves an arm to Gilbert as he says this.

"Hey." The man introduced as Gilbert responds simply.

"Is that it? No, "It's a pleasure to work with you all"?" Romeo comments as he stands right in front of Gilbert.

"Nana, Romeo. Can the two of you fill Gilbert here about Friar and Blood." He walks towards me as he says this with his head turned slightly to address the two he mentioned.

"I'd like to have a chat with Cedrick." He places a hand on my shoulder as he approaches me but does not stop walking. Instead, he opts for me to follow him to the lower level to talk. I have not choice to follow him.

"Listen, I'm sure you have noticed but Gilbert isn't exactly the most sociable of people." He says with a sigh. "I'm going to need you to keep an eye on him for me whenever you go on missions with hi-" Julius is suddenly interrupted by a loud thud from the upper level. We both rush up to see what had happened.

"What the heck was that for?" Romeo groans in pain from the floor. It looked as though he had been assaulted and seeing as how Romeo and Gilbert are facing each other, it is clear to see who hit him. Julius stands next to Gil.

"What's going on here soldier?" Julius asks. I'm sure he knows what happened as well but we are both unclear on the reason behind it.

"Uh... To be honest, things got kinda outta hand." Nana speaks up nervously and scratches the back of her head.

"All I did was ask where he was transferring from! Then her just hauled off and slugged me!" Romeo sounded pained. It was almost as if he had been hit in the throat. His voice was completely different from how it usually sounded. It was more hoarse.

"You're the Blood Captain, right?" Gilbert asks. I realise that Julius mustn't have introduced himself as the captain if Gilbert needs to ask that.

"The kid was out of line, so I socked him in the face." He turns around after these words and heads to the lower levels, probably with the intention of catching the lift to his room.

"Just throw me in the brig or whatever you do here. I'm out." He speaks for leaving the conversation completely.

"That guy's fuse is _way_ too short! I mean what the heck was that about? He just- Well I... Probably coulda been nicer about it." Romeo says still in his position on the floor. He must have found it comfy if he still hadn't gotten up from that spot.

"Oh, for sure. You were being suuuuper nosy. But still, I always say that violence never solves anything." Nana tells him with a hand on her hip.

"I thought being casual would open him up a little more!" Romeo speaks and I happen to agree that if Gilbert was a little more open then there may not be as many difficulties. Then again, I haven't had a chance to talk to Gilbert so it may be possible that there is something about Romeo that he doesn't like. Julius turns his head to me as if to say _I told you so_ before speaking about the situation.

"I will overlook this exchange for now, Romeo. Butt it is up to you to find Gilbert and fix this. I won't have animosity on the field." He looks back and forth between Romeo and Nana.

"What? No way! You saw him, he's crazy! Crazy!" Romeo speaks from the floor, still not getting up. I decide to do something about it and hold a hand out to help him up. He accepts it with a nod of his head to thank me.

"Cedrick, Nana. Make sure to back him up. Understood?" Julius' gaze seems to linger on me for a while before turning to Nana and then leaving us to it.

"Oh, come on! How am I supposed to patch things up with him. He's like an animal. An animal I tells ya!" Romeo exclaims his distaste with the situation.

"Listen, I could probably talk to him first. See if he's calmed down a bit, you know? Then you can apologise." I tell him with my arms crossed against my chest.

"I still don't see why i have to be the one to apologise. He's the one who hit me. Damn it still hurts." He rubs the affected area.

"You know you have to apologise! Like Julius said, we can't have this on the battlefield. We need to look out for each other!" Nana enters Romeo's personal space, something which she must like to do with him as I haven't witnessed her do that to anyone else.

"Y-Yeah, I'll apologise so j-just move stand back." He stammers out again before Nana brings her head away from Romeo's personal space. I notice she has a smirk on her face.

"Like I said, I'll speak to him first to make sure that he has calmed down. We wouldn't want him to get even more riled up. If you wait around here then I can tell you if it's safe to apologise, right?" I tell him.

"Yeah. Sounds like a plan." He says with a sad sigh. Clearly he didn't like the thought of apologising to the guy that hit him. So with that, I headed down to the lower levels with the hope of running into Gilbert.


	5. Chapter 5

Chapter 5

DISCLAIMER: I DO NOT OWN THE GOD EATER FRANCHISE HOWEVER I DO OWN MY OC.

Name: Cedrick Esparza

Gender: Male

Hairstyle: Style 7 (Dark Brown)

Also, please leave a review.

I didn't find Gilbert in the lower levels of the Den so I had to use the lift to get to the floor with all of our rooms on it. Blood had a section of rooms reserved to themselves. There was at least 7 rooms for them, including mine. Five of them would have been taken now, with Gilbert joining that equates to five members so it was only natural to assume that Gilbert was investigating his room. He would want to know what it was like, right? I approached Blood's section and found that our names had been placed on golden plaques outside of our rooms. After a bit of looking around, I found Gilbert's room and knocked on the door.

"Gilbert?" I say after a minute of no response when knocking.

"Gilbert?" I repeat and knock harder and again I am met with no response. I can only deduce that he is not in his room and set off to investigate his whereabouts.

I walk back into the Den, having not found Gilbert on the other floors, hoping that he had come back here. After a bit more looking I see that he isn't here either. I find myself on the upper level, where I notice Fran staring at me inquisitively. I walk over to her, hoping that she might know where I can find Gil.

"Hey, what have you been doing? I've noticed your signal wandering all around the Den." Fran speaks to me with signs of perplexity on her face. I must admit that, due to her last sentence, I am also confused.

"Signal? What signal?" I ask in curiosity. Maybe I can find Gil using this signal.

"All God Eaters emit a signal and I am able to detect the ones that are close enough." Fran answers as she types on her computer. I'm not sure what she is doing on her computer but after a few seconds, she rotates the computer screen displaying 5 signals.

"You are here. The other signals belong to the other members of Blood." Fran explains and I have a eureka moment.

"Fran! Can you identify which signal is Gilbert's?!" I shout my question towards Fran, hoping to find Gilbert. I am surprised by how calm she remains while she answers.

"Ah, so that's what you were doing. I should be able to. I was able to identify yours, after all." She turns her screen back and starts typing. A few seconds later, she turns the screen towards me and points her finger at a signal.

"Gilbert is in the dome in the garden." She tells me and I give her my thanks before travelling to the garden.

The lift stops at the garden and I walk out of it. Taking a look at the dome I see Gil sitting down in there and head over to him.

"Oh, it's you. Have they decided how to punish me yet?" Gilbert says as he notices me. He stands after his question.

"We're going to make amends." I answer him, making sure to smile and I'm sure I can see a small smile on his face too.

"Is that so? That Julius guy is the captain, right? I didn't think he'd be so prickly about this." The smile disappears on his face as he continues talking. I feel my smile also waver.

"I did what I had to do, when it needed to be done. And I won't apologise for that." He gives a sigh as if he realises how childish he sounds. "I am sorry for causing problems so early though. I'll talk to the Romeo kid later." He says whilst scratching his head.

"Won't that hinder missions?" I ask about having this animosity on the battlefield. It could be the difference between working together and dying together.

"Nah, it's not an issue." He seems so confident of that.

"How can it not be an issue? It would be fine if you could both put it to one side but whilst you may be able to, Romeo may not be able to." I tell him that Romeo may hold a grudge.

"Hey whatever happens, I get the job done. Simple as that." He seemed annoyed at my speech but he didn't deny it was possible.

"Look, a lot of things happened in Scotland. I'll tell you about it another time. Maybe it's best to start over. I'm Gilbert McLane. I transferred here from the Glasgow Branch." Gilbert reintroduces himself to me and I learn a bit more about him. I hadn't known he had transferred from the Glasgow Branch.

"I may be the new guy in Blood, but I've been a God Eater for five years. I'm good at what I do."

"So you're experienced? That's great! Hey, how about we and Romeo go on a mission later?" I propose a mission to him.

"Yeah, that sounds good. All right, I'll show you what I can do. Just tell me when you're ready to go." Gil agrees with a smile on his face. He looked determined to show me his skills.

"Great! Well, I'll see what missions are available. How about you get your things ready and meet us at the Den Gate. I leave the garden after that to give Gil time to prepare himself.

Along my way to the front desk, I run into Romeo which is perfect as I needed to see him as well.

"Argh, what should I do? I'm just not very good at these sorts of things..." Clearly Romeo was still hung up over what happened with Gilbert.

"I spoke with Gil. He seemed apologetic over what happened. He also tells me that there was a lot of stuff that happened back in Scotland so he was probably harbouring anger from being transferred. Although, he doesn't seem very angry now..."

"Yeah? So that's what he told you, huh? All right, I'll apologise too. Sorry to trouble you with all this. It's all good now." He tells me with a hint of his usual energetic tone taking over his worried voice.

"Oh, and the three of us are going on a mission so you should be able to apologise when we're out." I explain to him.

"Yeah, sounds like a pla-" Romeo is interrupted by Fran's panicked voice as she ran up to us.

"We've spotted a large pack of Aragami ahead. Director Grem has requested help from the nearest branch. I overheard that the two of you and Gilbert are looking for a mission. I'll arrange transport for the three of you to complete this mission. You need to secure the route for our support's arrival, so that they can get here as safely as possible." Fran appears to have calmed down slightly as she tells us this.

"Support from the nearest branch?" I repeat in confusion. Why would we need support?

"There's no time to explain. You two get your God Arcs ready and I'll use the intercom system to tell Gil to get his God Arc and meet you at the Den Gate." She still seemed jumpy but she ran behind her desk and announcing to Gil to get ready.

"What are you still doing here?! Move!" Fran demands with the ferocity of an Aragami. She was clearly still upset about us being here and Romeo and I sprint to the God Arc Storage Area.

"It's about time you showed up." Romeo comments as he and I had waited for at least five minutes at the Den Gate whilst Gilbert is only just arriving.

"Shut it, kid." Gilbert responds and I can't see these two apologising any time soon.

"Jeez, why are you such a -"

"There's no time for this! Let's get moving team!" I shout in the hopes to distract them with the mission. I wouldn't be able to handle them two arguing the whole time we travel there, fight the Aragami and the travel back. After all, we do have to run there but thankfully it wasn't far away to get to the Abandoned City since we had docked rather close to it.

"Fran! Open the doors!" I shout and in a few seconds the Den Gate opens, allowing the three of us to run out.

"So what are we up against?" Romeo asks as he runs to the left of me, carrying his Buster Blade with him.

"A herd of small Aragami. I've only been on a couple of missions so I think it is a bit too early for me to be against a herd of Aragami, no matter what size they are." I tell them both.

"How long have you been a God Eater anyway?" Gilbert asks as he runs to my right, carrying his Assault Gun.

"Two days." I give him my answer matter of factly. I'm not surprised at Gil's next words.

"Two days?! Holy heck. Compared to my five years of experience you are like a beginner."

"That makes sense but I'll show you that I don't fight like a beginner." I say as we approach the ledge that Nana and I had jumped off of yesterday.

Within a matter of minutes, the three of us were slashing and shooting the herd of Aragami as if it was target practice. While we were fighting, I did notice a van travel through a path that we had cleared and it looked to be headed towards Friar but I couldn't focus on that seeing as how there were still Aragami to be defeated. With one final slash, the Cocoon Maiden I had assaulted had drawn its last breath. I devoured it core for materials. I look towards my team mates to see Romeo struggling to fight an Ogretail.

"A little help here!" Romeo shouts and I rush towards him to help him. I get behind the Ogretail and make a few direct hits with my slashes before it turns around fully. At this close proximity, begin to imagine what my parents had felt as they had come face to face with a beast like this. Were they scared? Did they think that it was impossible for this to happen to them? They were not God Eaters so they couldn't defend themselves either. It was so long ago that this happened that I had forgot the feeling. I could feel my hands becoming more wet as I think about it and I could feel my God Arc slipping from my grip. Had I been alone on this mission then I probably wouldn't have returned alive. The Ogretail's jaws are only a metre away from me and it would have pounced had Gilbert not shot a bullet at it.

"Don't just stand there!" Gilbert shouts as he shoots another bullet at the Ogretail. If he has had thee time to shoot the Aragami then it must have been the only target left. This brings me out of my stupor and I, once again, begin slashing at the Aragami. It doesn't take many slashes before it comes down with a crash.

"What was that about?! You almost got yourself killed?!" Gilbert shouts as he approaches me and grips me by my shirt; lifting me off the ground as he continues his lecture.

"You told me that you don't fight like a beginner! I began to believe that until you decided to stop doing anything!" Gilbert shouts in my face and I try to calm him down.

"Listen Gil, I was reminded of something." I wouldn't dare tell him that I was struck with fear.

"Well, this _something_ of yours almost got yourself killed!"

"Hey, Gil, maybe you should ease off." Romeo speaks up cautiously; not wanting to anger him even more.

"Gil, you have a past, so do I. I will tell you about it some other time." As I repeat the words he used against me earlier, he lets go of my shirt.

"Let's go. I'm sure that the support has already arrived." He starts walking away and Romeo approaches me.

"You okay, man? I told you he was like an animal." He whispers so that he isn't heard by the person in question.

"Don't worry. He was just concerned. Hey, Romeo? Can you run on ahead and tell Fran that we have completed the mission?" I ask him in hops that I can talk to Gil privately. I am thankful for Romeo's stupidity as he doesn't realise that I could have contact Fran using my earpiece and she could have been able to tell that the mission is complete since there are no Aragami signatures being released.

"Yeah sure. See you back at the Den!" He shouts as he sprints towards Friar.

"Hey, hey! Where are you going?!" Gil shouts after him and I catch up to Gil.

"I told him to run ahead. Don't worry, he'll be fine."

"Ugh, whatever." Was Gil's simple reply.

We walked in silence as the two of us didn't really know what to say to each other. We were about 30 seconds away from Friar before any of us spoke.

"Gil, I-"  
"I'm sorry about that. Just, what you did also reminded me of something." Gil apologises for what happened.

"I understand. You were just being cautious. You decided to scold me for standing there doing absolutely nothing. If I had went on this mission alone I mightn't have returned."

"But what made you stand in shock like that? You gave a good impression when we first talked earlier and even when we were running to destroy the herd. But now I think that you are reckless. That could get yourself and others killed you know." Gilbert speaks as we approach the Den.

"Yeah. Well, my parents were eaten by an Ogretail in front of my eyes so I kinda stuttered when I came face to face with it." I explain to him.

"I see." Gilbert responds after we walk into the Den.

"So you are of the Blood Unit." An unfamiliar voice causes the both of us to stop walking and turn towards the newcomer. The blonde haired man with mainly white clothing begins speaking again.

"Ohoho! Please, relax. It's only natural to be nervous, but I assure you, all is well." The man began twirling a few strands of his hair as he addresses us with his eyes closed. He gave me the impression that the man was full of himself.

"Now that I'm here, you need never fear again!" He waves his arms for dramatic effect but, in my opinion, he looks pretty crazy. Gil and I share a look that suggests _who is this clown?_

"Oh, forgive my dreadful manners. A knight in the service of the Far East Branch's glorious 1st Unit Fighters. I am Emil von Strasbourg." The man introduces himself with a flail of his arms. I gathered that he liked dramatic introductions.

"Nice. Good seeing you, pal." At Gilbert's words we prepare to walk away but the sudden speech from Emil halts us as we turn back around to pay attention.

"Yes... This Friar is truly a majestic vessel, is it not? Impressive, yet tasteful. Yet beyond the horizon the Aragami scourge awaits us, plotting to hinder this vessel's blessed voyage. You are undoubtedly gripped with by fear. Yet, I say unto thee: Take courage, friends, for I am here." He continues his dramatic act with his eyes closed before sharply opening them with his head directed towards us.

"I shall stand firm and defend you. You shall know no fear whilst beside me." He returns to twirling his hair. "

"We're good, thanks." I hated to reject his help but he had a bit too much flair for my tastes.

"Don't be shy, my friend! It is my sworn duty to help the weak. That is the truth of Chivalry." He moves his arms with flair and finishes his sentence by extending a hand out to me.

"Really, not necessary."

"Be not a shame of your helplessness, weakness, impotence... For I shall be beside you in battle!" He speaks again, determined to let me help myself with his presence on the battlefield.

"After all of that name calling, I am surprised you haven't hit him yet. It looks I was right about you after all." Gilbert whispers to me but I pay him no heed.

"Go back to your branch." I didn't want to sound mean but he was starting to get annoying. He is very persistent.

"Ah, you wish to man the ramparts of thine own ship. Of course, 'tis crucial to keep appearances." He says with a flick of his head before his eyes lock with mine. I can see a fire lit behind them. A fire fuelled by the chance to meet a new friend.

"I see in you a kindred spirit! 'Twill be an honour to ride into battle beside you!" With an exasperated sigh, I accept his services.

"All right."

"Let us fight cheek-by-jowl, blades shining bright to all mankind!" He begins walking away from us.

"Our victory is all but assured! Fight on my comrades-in-combat!" He finishes with an ecstatic fist pump into the air.

"Well, he's weird." Gil speaks what I was thinking. A few minutes later, we hear a loud pinging sound.

"What was that?" I ask in genuine confusion.

"You have a message." Gil points to my Armlet and I begin looking around it for some sort of screen.

"Your Armlet can only tell you when you have received a message. It can't show you it. That's what the terminals are for." He gestures behind him.

"All right, so how does it work?" I approach the nearest terminal.

"To log on you need to put your Armlet into the hole located to your right." He points to the hole and I fill it with my hand, bringing my Armlet with it.

"Now you should be logged-" A ping confirms what Gil was saying and a message pops up on the screen.

 _Emil_

 _Subject: Knight! The hour of our victory draws near! I will declare this again. Take it into your soul. I, Emil von Strasbourg, pledge that our victory is already assured! However! Our victory here will not be over an enemy, but over the weakness in our own hearts. To overcome this foe, the friendship and help of our fellow knights is essential. Let us inspire, encourage, and lead each other to victory! Let us raise our cups together on the dawn of victory, brought about by our unity and love!_

"Haha, he seems to have taken a shine to you." Gilbert laughs and I realise that he must have read the message too.

"He's going to be a pain to deal with." I give an exasperated sigh and am met with another laugh from Gilbert.

"He's your problem. Glad that he didn't do the same thing for me." Gil comments on how dramatic Emil was and how determined he was to allow him to help me.

"Either way, at least I won't be bored." I say with a hint of a smirk on my face. It has only been two days since I became a God Eater and I am already making friends.


	6. Chapter 6

Chapter 6

DISCLAIMER: I DO NOT OWN THE GOD EATER FRANCHISE HOWEVER I DO OWN MY OC.

Name: Cedrick Esparza

Gender: Male

Hairstyle: Style 7 (Dark Brown)

Also, please leave a review. This is my first attempt at writing a chapter with a bit of motherly love in it so I want to know if it was too over the top or it wasn't enough.

Gilbert and I went our separate ways after that. I'm not sure where Gil went but I went back to my room so that I could check out the features on the terminal. There was a ton of stuff that I didn't know about. For instance, you could customise a God Arc here and the maintenance team would make the changes on my real God Arc. Of course, this wasn't a free service. As well as having to pay for the changes, I would also need to make sure I had the necessary materials but it would be a small price to pay to have an improved God Arc. Unfortunately, since I've only been on three missions I don't have many materials. However, there is also an option to buy God Arc materials but I don't have enough money to buy any yet. After a bit more looking around at the features, I realised you could also buy things like Restore Pills and Traps. By the time I had finished using the terminal, I noticed that the sun had long since set as the moonlight reflected off of the water. It gave a nice image but, being a God Eater, I knew that sleep was important and so I decided to retire for the night.

The next day, I was able to get a very good rest. I woke up at around 10:00 and lazed around in my bed for another thirty minutes, feeling the sun's warmth on my skin. Is this what cold blooded animals feel like? I ask myself, feeling very comfortable. Unfortunately, all good things must come to an end as I have a visitor at my door.

"Cedrick?" A soothing feminine voice vibrates through the air as it reaches my ears. I am instantly able to identify this voice as Doctor Rachel.

"Dr. Rachel?" I ask as I wonder to why she is here and get up from my bed. Luckily I hadn't changed out of my clothes before I went to sleep yesterday so I still had my casual attire on. I walk to my door and open it revealing the woman dressed in black.

"To what do I owe this honour?" I ask with a smile on my face, it isn't every day that a pretty woman comes to your door to ask for you. She gives me a large smile,

"May we talk?" I step aside to allow her into my room.

"Of course." She moves her wheelchair into my room and I start getting slightly worried. Why would she want to come into my room? I have done something wrong? Doctor Rachel stops in front of the couch and I assume that she wants me to sit on it.

"Is something wrong?" I ask, swallowing my nervousness and putting on a confident, but surprised, act.

"Nothing is wrong, dear child. I just wish to know how you are getting along with everyone in the Blood Unit." Her answer calms my nerves and I breath a sigh of relief.

"There's no need to be nervous. I've already asked Nana and Gilbert, the latter of whom has shown a bit of concern towards you so I believe that something happened during yesterday's mission. I wish to know what it was." The woman spoke with a sweet tone but her words gave me no doubt that she had no intentions to leave my room until I told her of yesterday's mishap. I sit down with a sigh stretching my arms across the back of the couch.

"I'd rather keep it to myse-"

"Is it something concerning your parents' death?" Her question strikes me suddenly and my eyes open in fear. How did she know that?

"Before you joined Blood, I had researched into your past. I know all about the death of your mother and father including which Aragami species is responsible and what actually happened on that day. It is all in your record on NORN as well." She informs me, still in her sweet tone.

"Why would you research that?" I run a hand through my hair in stress and could feel myself begin to sweat. I could identify the shock in my own voice and it's safe to assume that she could hear it as well. I could feel my hands sweating like they did yesterday and I could feel a dampness on my forehead. My eyes become steadily more wet and my throat threatens to let out a whimper as the memory of my parents being eaten by an Ogretail replays in my mind.

"There's no need to panic, sweet child." A foreign hand runs through my hair and it's easy to identify it as one of Doctor Rachel's. Her hand moves through every inch of my hair and I feel the whimper I was trying so desperately to hold back escape. I feel a wetness on my cheek and I immediately know what is happening. Dr. Rachel's touch was the last straw. My eyes overflowed with tears and yet I didn't utter a sound. Another hand pulls my head into Doctor Rachel's chest.

"Don't cry, my sweet Cedrick. We at Friar value you. You will become one of the best God Eaters in the world. You just need to let it all out. Relinquish all you have kept locked inside. Once you have released it all, you will no longer feel the fear you have felt before." At this point, I imagine that Doctor Rachel was able to figure out what happened during the mission yesterday so I didn't need to tell her. I was enjoying her touch too much. It was very soothing and calmed me down within minutes. I could no longer feel my eyes overflowing and, instead, opted to remain in Doctor Rachel's grip allowing her to caress my head. I began to wonder if my mother would have rubbed my head like this if she was still alive. We remained in this position a little while longer and I had a content smile on my face before the embarrassment of the situation caught up with me. I quickly removed my head from Doctor Rachel and stared at her. Her demeanour was the same as ever, unchanged as if she had been expecting me to break down.

"Well, er... If you don't mind, I need to get ready for the day ahead." I say nervously, scratching at the back of my head.

"Hehehe, of course." Her giggle is like music to my ears and she moves her wheelchair towards the door. I follow her so that I can open it.

"Thank you, Cedrick." She says as she goes through the door. I barely hear her say

"I needed that" before I close the door.

After Doctor Rachel left, I had taken the liberty of showering and putting on a new, but identical, set of clothes on before leaving my room. I would still have to complete one mission today at least. That's the only way I will improve as a God Eater. I went into the lobby where I found Julius standing near Fran's desk with a business pose.

"Ah, Cedrick, there you are. I was beginning to wonder whether you would wake up today." He says with a chuckle before getting to business. "I want you and Gilbert to put down the recently sighted Ukonvasara. Watch out for its massive bite and electric sparks. Bond breaks will severely weaken it. Target the turbine thing on its back and anything else you can break." He explains to me today's mission target

"Okay but what exactly is a Ukonva thing?" I couldn't quite articulate the name having only heard it one time.

"A Ukonvasara. You should look it up on NORN. You know what that is, right?" He asks me.

"Yeah, yeah. I was looking at the terminal's features yesterday. I know what it is. Ukonvasara, right?" I ask for reconfirmation as I walk to the terminal and log on.

"Yeah. You and Gil will have support from the God Eater from the Far East Branch. I think his name is Emil. Before you go, remember to fill Fran in on your whereabouts." Julius says before leaving for the lower level without a salutation. It takes five minutes before I am satisfied with the information I have received from NORN so I log off of the terminal and head over the Fran's desk where I see her typing on her computer

"Hey Fran. I'm about to head out on a mission to kill a Ukonvasara." I state and wait for her response.

"Okay then." She continues typing on her computer. "Are you aware that this is a joint mission with the Far East Branch?"

"Yeah, I heard Emil was coming with Gil and I. Are they ready?"

"I'll make an announcement for them soon. We've already docked close to where the Ukonvasara was sighted, in the Sunken Grid. Once you've got your God Arc you should head to Point A, where I will send you the other two to meet you." Fran informs me, suggesting that she is very efficient in her work.

"Well, okay then. I'll meet them at Point A. We'll be back after the mission." I bid her a goodbye as I walk towards the God Arc Storage Area to retrieve my Arc. Once I have got it, I set off to Point A in the Sunken grid.

I've been waiting here at Point A for at least 15 minutes now and have had a decent chance to look around the place. In the centre of the place looked to be the remains of a power plant, that more than likely, once supplied power to neighbouring cities. It looks as though a tsunami had appeared since most of the plant seemed to be submerged. It now has the appearance of a forest because of the lack of human presence allowing for greenery to grow. The only sound, apart from the sound of Aragami, is the sad flow of water running through the plant.

"Hey there." Gilbert's voice from behind me alerts me to his presence and he's followed by Emil.

"Greetings brave knight. Have you come to scope out the area before the battle?" Emil asks.

"There are two Ukonvasaras and two Dreadpikes." I inform them as to the presence of the Aragami.

"We were told that there was only one." Gilbert speaks with a raised eyebrow.

"Well, there are clearly two of them now. So if Emil handles the one at Point C, Gilbert handles the one at Point K and I'll take care of the two Dreadpikes. Once I've killed them, I'll come and help you out. How does that sound?" I ask them on whether they agree with my plan or not.

"That sounds fine." Gilbert gives a simple reply.

"Of course. As a knight, it is my job to protect the weak so it is only right for me to defeat such large opponents in battle." Despite Emil's words I do not retort. He has just said that, in his eyes, I am weak but I am still in my first few days as a God Eater.

"Then let's go!" I shout before jumping off of the edge and running towards where I last seen the two Dreadpikes.

Luckily, the two Dreadpikes had stuck relatively close together. I changed my Arc into its Gun Form and shot one of the Dreadpikes until I had used up all of my Oracle Power. It dropped dead on the spot, leaving me with just the one Dreadpike to defeat. It had taken notice of how its friend had reacted to being shot and began charging towards me with its horn leading the way. I evaded it with ease, sidestepping as if dancing majestically in the wind. The Aragami didn't land too far away and so I was able to run towards it and start slashing it while it was still down. It didn't get back up.

"Cedrick, move!" I turn my head at Gilbert's voice to see that a Ukonvasara had decided to target me with a sliding-jaw attack. It was coming at me too fast to evade it and even if I could, its jaws were too wide to simply sidestep it. The only other thing to do was to deploy my shield but when you're staring at a set of jaws as wide as that, you tend to experience fear and I began to sweat quite a bit. I managed to push through the fear though and deploy my shield. However, my shield is too small compared to the jaws of the Ukonvasara so I was scraped on the arms and legs by its teeth.

"Cedrick!"

"Gah!" I screamed in pain and I felt a liquid trickling down my arms and legs. I didn't need to look to know what it was. The Aragami's teeth must have damaged my trousers so that it could get to my skin. The monster had moved back significantly so that it could get a running start and finish me off. I wouldn't go down that easily though and ran to the nearest ledge. It wasn't too tall but it was enough to avoid its jaws. Gilbert began shooting at it and I changed my God Arc back to Gun Form, also shooting at it. I remember Julius telling me to aim for its turbine and being up on a ledge like this would be the best way of doing so.

"Gil, aim for its head! I'll aim for its tail!" I shout my plan to Gilbert and he changes from firing at its torso to firing at its head. As we continue shooting, I notice that the Aragami is stationary and appears to have its tailed raised, like a scorpion in the old history books I had back at Fenrir HQ. Under me was growing blue patch but I paid no attention to it. It took a few more shots before the first bond was broken. It turns out that the it was the head bond that was broken and it recoils in pain which is when I realise that the blue spot under me had disappeared. Now was not the time to worry about that though because I had ran out of OP so I was forced to switch my God arc to Melee Form. I started slashing my knife at it over and over again, occasionally avoiding a few swipes from its tail. It didn't take long before its final roar and I devoured its core for its materials. Gilbert approached me upon its demise.

"Are you all right?" He sounded genuinely concerned.

"Nothing a few bandages won't heal. I don't suppose you have any?" I brush off the injury with a question. To be fair, while there is a burning sensation it isn't too painful.

"Nah. So, er, that was the last of 'em?" He asks before we hear a scream coming form the only other God Eater out here.

"Huh? What's that?" Gilbert asks and we both turn in the direction of the scream to see Emil narrowly avoiding the jaws of a Ukonvasara.

"Creature of darkness." Emil begins speaking whilst picking himself up from the ground.

"I, Emil, with the strength of arms and knightly valor... Shall return you from whence you came!" He charges towards the Aragami only to be flung high into the air where he lands in a similar position where he first landed.

"A-All right! Not a bad showing! Now you face my true strength!" With more of a struggle, he picks himself up from the ground.

"Skill Attack! Emil Special Ultr-" He shouts whilst charging but is once again flung back and lands hard on the ground.

"Ye gods! Such strength..." Emil says as he, again, picks himself up from the ground.

"What the hell? Come on. Let's take care of that thing." I could sense Gilbert's frustration.

"Nay! Come not near! Leave this beast to me! I shall show you the power of a knight gallant!" Emil speaks with an outstretched hand from his kneeling position before returning his attention to the Aragami before him.

"Prepare yourself! Face death, you beast from the- Argh!" The Aragami knocks him back onto his backside with a flick of its head.

"We don't have time for this. We'll handle it. I'm getting real tired of this kinda-" Gil began walking forward but at my arm's extension, he halts. "Huh?" I keep my arm extended.

"He is dead set on refusing our help. I can feel his determination to kill the beast and his pride is preventing us from intervening. We should continue to wait on the sidelines." I explain to Gil why I extended my arm.

"Ugh... Whatever." I drop my arm at Gil's response and we both continue watching the one-sided fight. Emil was clearly out of breath from the fight but he still refused our help.

"Every battle a God Eater faces is a noble quest undertaken! In this world, drowning in despair, God Eaters bring the shining ray of hope to humanity! Justice will prevail. We will have a better tomorrow. Justice will not lose. We will look towards the future. And thus, I, Emil von Strasbourg, a true and honourable knight, shall never be defeated!" Emil shouts and the Aragami comes closer to him with its jaws extended wide. Emil looks to be bracing himself and Gilbert and I are shocked at the height he has jumped. We are even more shocked by the amount of force Emil uses as he brings his God Arc crashing down onto the Ukonvasara's head. It extends its jaw as it roars for the last time, throwing Emil into the air where he lands on his feet as the monster falls behind him.

"Hah...! Would you look at that. The idiot actually did it." Gilbert says with a chuckle and we approach Emil.

"I... I did it! This is a grand day for knighthood and chivalry! Victory!" Emil exclaims in delight as Gil and I look towards him from the sidelines.


	7. Chapter 7

Chapter 7

DISCLAIMER: I DO NOT OWN THE GOD EATER FRANCHISE HOWEVER I DO OWN MY OC.

Name: Cedrick Esparza

Gender: Male

Hairstyle: Style 7 (Dark Brown)

Also, please leave a review.

Nothing very eventful happened after the mission yesterday. I had talked with Julius, Romeo, Gilbert, Nana and Emil but that was the usual chat after a mission. When I was talking to Julius, I heard that we would have a step up in difficulty for our next mission and that we were supposed to be getting a new member in Blood, which is ridiculous as I have only recently joined. I was told that this person would be a female but Julius didn't know too much about her to tell me anymore, at least, that's what he said. In terms of the mission though, apparently there were two Kongou lurking around in the Abandoned City and it would be our job to exterminate them. Of course, with the step up in difficulty that means that all of us God Eaters on Friar, Blood and Emil, would be taking part in this mission. That leads us to where we are now. Romeo has recently finished giving me a bit of advice on how to deal with Kongou so now we're all headed off to the Abandoned City.

"Let's go over the plan one more time. Nana, Cedrick, I want you two to fight one of the Kongou. The other will be left to Romeo and I. There has also been reports of three Ogretails in the area which Gilbert and Emil will take care of. Does everyone know their roles?" Julius asks as we approach the same ledge where he lectured Nana and I a few days ago. We stop just short of the ledge to discuss the plan. Julius was met with positive replies and we set off to vanquish our targets.

Nana and I had traversed most of the map in search of the Kongou and had failed to see any sign of it. We had began to lose hope but then we stumbled upon Point D...

"There's no sign of the Aragami anywhere." I say with a slightly angry voice, annoyed at the fact that the monster hadn't shown itself. "I don't know what's keeping it. Aren't they supposed to be known for their good hearing!" I shout and try to grab the Aragami's attention, if it is nearby.

"Shouting may not be the wisest thing to do, Cedrick. You could bring more than just a Kongou for our God Arcs' dinners." As if hearing Nana's retort, the Kongou came into sight. It was atop a large ledge that would have been too difficult to climb up but one shot to the face made sure that it had noticed us. The bullet itself seemed to do relatively little in terms of hurting the Aragami nevertheless I am not one to panic at this. Romeo had previously informed me that Kongou are quite resilient to slashing attacks but are susceptible to crushing attacks. I had made sure to make crushing bullets for my sniper rifle but they are ridiculously underpowered. The good thing though, is that the bullets consume very little Oracle Points so I continued firing bullet after bullet at the Aragami. Romeo had also told me that you are able to hear the voices of the God Eaters closest to your position through the earpiece so I would make good use of this to communicate with Nana whilst fighting the beast. By the time I had used all of my OP, it had recoiled in pain. With Nana's God Arc being a massive hammer, and thus being able to use crushing attacks, she is significantly better suited to melee attacks than my Kurogane Knife is but now that I am out of OP, I need to start attacking in my God Arc's Melee Form. I swiftly changed my Arc's form and started sprinting towards the target.

"Nana! I'm out of OP! You shoot at it whilst I regain mine!" I shout towards her and see her ease away from the Kongou, avoiding a hit from its swinging arm.

"You got it!" She says before stepping back quite a distance and changing her God Arc's form whilst I reach the Kongou and start slashing at it from behind. It clearly wasn't doing much damage and the Kongou seemed unfazed despite my constant swipes. In fact, it completely ignored me and curled up into a ball where it launched itself at Nana.

"Move!" I shout as I realise what it was doing. Nana managed to throw herself to one side where she landed hard and approximately five metres away from where the Kongou had impacted the wall.

"Up, Nana!" I shout as she stutters to her feet and joins me in melee attacking the monster which had unstuck itself from the wall. It turned to face us and Nana delivered a bond breaking blow to its face. It recoiled in pain and I kept slashing at wherever I could on the Aragami. I wasn't relying on my melee attacks to do it much damage but I was hoping to refill my OP bar. Taking a look at it, I find that the bar is about 90% filled.

"I'm going back to shooting!" I shout once again, narrowly evading a condensed ball of air that the Kongou shot in my direction.

"'Kay!" Nana responds, too focused with hitting the target in front of her and my bullets help to wear down the Kongou. After 12 more bullets, the Aragami shows signs of defeat. It collapses on its hind legs and staggers to its feet.

"Finish it, Nana!" I had run out of bullets and my melee form was ineffective but Nana's wasn't. She had a better shot at finishing this and like Emil beforehand she launched herself into the air to deliver a killing blow to its head.

"I'll let you devour its core, Nana. I'm going to run ahead and check for the others." I told her before sprinting down the same path we had traversed down, I could hear Nana's voice but wasn't quite sure of what she said but that wasn't important right now.

I had ran out of Point D and arrived at Point B. I could see someone battling an Aragami at Point A and started heading over to that person but a shout from behind halts me.

"Aaaaaaargh!" I look behind me to see that Emil is sprinting in my direction, clearly panicked by something. "Attention! My God Arc isn't workiiiiing!" He screams as the monster that is chasing him comes into view. The Aragami looked vaguely similar to a Vajra, the tiger faced monster I had seen the other day, with its red cape but the were differences between them. This monster had the face of a wolf rather than the face of a tiger and its arms looked heavily protected. Nonetheless, this is not the time to notice its features. While I have been thinking about its appearance, it has hit Emil to the side with a very powerful swing of its arm. With Emil remaining motionless, the Aragami has its sights set on me. It slams its body into the ground with its arms at either side of me, trapping any escape to the sides of it. Even if I had attempted to escape it would have been to no avail as the monster twirls around to attack me with its tail. It hits me in the chest and I am hurled backwards. I manage to land on my feet though but a part of me wished I hadn't. I was alone against this beast which I had never encountered before. The fact that it has taken Emil, an experienced God Eater, out of the battle spells no hope for me. The familiar situation arises familiar feelings. I feel myself breathing more heavily as it feels like my chest has constricted. In the face of yet another Aragami, I feel my emotions betray me. My fear grows and I swear I'm almost on the verge of hyperventilation but that's when it hits me. I am a God Eater! There is no time for fear on the battleground! Many times I have encountered beasts like this and every time my greatest fear has been fear itself. If I do not fear fear then I will be able to defend myself. I will be able to defend my friends. Nobody will die on my watch! The Aragami moves closer and almost seemed to laugh now that it has a new toy to play with. But I won't be its toy nor any other Aragami's toy! And neither will my friends! I feel a sudden urge of strength growing within me and prepare myself to fight. I move my God Arc behind me,

"Grrrrrraaaaaaahhhhhhhhh!" I shout as I release all of the energy that was growing within me and charge my Arc at the monster as it jumps towards me. It was as if time itself was slowing down.

"What the-" I hear Gilbert's voice through my earpiece and assume that he is the closest God Eater to me but his voice isn't the only one I hear. "Huh? What's happening?!" Romeo's voice comes through the earpiece and I see Nana standing a little further away from Emil. She must have heard the commotion and came out to check it.

"Awesome! Just... Just like the Captain's!" She speaks with awe.

"Observe! The Blood Power has finally awakened!" I hear Julius voice and it isn't through the earpiece he must have been close enough for me to hear him without the need of my earpiece.

"Keeeeaaaaahhhhhhh!" I deliver the slash too its head and it is powerful enough to take the Aragami off of its feet and fly through the air. Using up all of that energy took its toll on me as my vision began turning blurry but I was able to see that the Aragami didn't stay down. I was disheartened as I collapsed to one knee. I could see where I hit the Aragami as a long, crimson scar was in place of its left eye. My sight was becoming progressively worse and so was my hearing. The Aragami was moving closer and this time, there was nothing I could do about it. Thankfully, I am not alone. A bullet comes from out of nowhere and halts the beast from coming any further. That is when three of my friends, Gilbert, Nana and Romeo run in front of me and start firing bullets at the beast. I collapse to my bottom as I feel the energy in my legs leave me but I still observe the battle with the monster. I can see the fuzzy shape climb up a wall and remain there for a while before finally leaving. The Aragami had retreated. I felt relief at this and laid on my back, closing my eyes in an attempt to regain my breath. However, it was too difficult to open my eyes again and the last voice I heard was Julius.

"beast... strong... captain... did well."

I feel peace and tranquillity in this moment. It was a moment from which I did not wish to awaken. Here, the outside world filled with monsters didn't exist. Nothing threatened the existence of human life and it was a relief to not encounter something that only had intentions to eat you. The world here was filled with warmth from a brilliant sun's rays. It seemed heavenly. Unfortunately all good things come to a halt as I find myself spiralling away from this heavenly world and awake with a startle.

"Huh?!" I shout as my body lifts itself from a warm, comfy bed and I feel something fall from my chest and lay at my lower half. I look around to notice I am in a bed of sorts and it was the duvet that fell from my chest and lay at my lower half.

"Ah, so you have awoken, kind knight." A voice speaks from my bedside. I could instantly identify it as Emil but I decided to look in the person's direction before I made any assumptions. Turning my head, I can officially confirm the person to be Emil who sits there with a firm smile and his arms across his chest.

"Where are we, Emil?" I ask without greeting him. I felt to lethargic to do that.

"We are in the infirmary. You, brave sir knight, gave everyone a fright when you lost consciousness like that. Julius informed me that he hadn't lost consciousness when he has awakened his knightly strength so everyone was worried for your cause. Nonetheless, it appears that all you needed was rest." Emil explains to me why I am in the infirmary and I remember about the ensuing battle before my loss of consciousness.

"So how did the mission go? Did everyone make it back all right?" I ask as I lay back down, propping my head up with my arms.

"Of course. They even went out for another mission whilst I decided to remain here to look our for the knight who risked his life for mine." Emil flailed his arms dramatically after he spoke.

"After that mission... I'm deeply in your debt. Please permit me to express my gratitude." He pleads with me. I didn't even know I saved his life. The beast simply turned its attention to me and disregarded him.

"Er... No thanks necessary." I dismiss his pleading but that only seems to enlighten him.

"Such grace! I see that you're more than just a superb fighter, but a person of good manners as well. And that power... Might just be the sword to cut mankind free of the darkness that envelops us. I may have fallen a step behind you... But this is one rival who will soon catch up." He speaks and declares himself as my rival. It would be more fun to have a rival so that I am not just killing Aragami everyday without much thought. Okay then, if he wants to become my rival...

"Do your worst!" I exclaim with a determined smile on my face. The idea of a competition sounds even more appealing as the seconds pass by.

"Oh yes, my friend! Regrettably, it appears I must be returning to the Far East... However! The next time we meet, we shall see whose training has paid off. Until that day, dear friend!" He walks away from my beside and to the door. He turns to speak with me once more,

"Also, I have been informed to tell you that you should travel to a Doctor Rachel's laboratory."

"Oh really?" I ask as a sit back up, I can feel the fabric of my clothes sticking to me but I can't tell if it is the sweat or Aragami blood."

"Indeed. Now, I shall bid you adieu." He says before leaving the infirmary. I too leave the infirmary and head to Doctor Rachel's laboratory; feeling energised from the thought of speaking with her again.

As I walk into the laboratory, I notice that all of Blood is present plus one more person apart from Doctor Rachel. This new person appears to be a woman whom adorns the black and silver look. Her silver hair reminds me of the silver threads used in clothing and her matching eyes remind me of the moon's reflection upon water. She wears a gothic lolita dress with a corset as well as black boots and two black hairpins on her twintails. Her whole attire resembles what I would imagine angels to wear but the stoic face to whom the clothes belong to distorts the angelic image. I'm so transfixed with this new female that I miss the questions thrown towards me by my unit.

"It turns out that I was just exhausted so there is no need to panic." I say with my arms up, hoping to have answered their unheard questions, before standing with my group.

"Please, allow me to introduce myself." The new woman spoke in a calm voice that mirrored her face, emotionless. She steps closer towards us.

"My name is Ciel Alencon. As of today, I am a member of Blood. And proud to serve." She raises her hand to salute us. She was taking her introduction far too seriously. I suppose she must have wanted to make a good impression.

"I too was raised at the Magnolia Compass Orphanage. Julius and I both learned to be soldiers and God Eaters under Dr. Rachel's tutelage." Upon hearing of Doctor Rachel's accomplishment, I couldn't refrain the smile that overtook my face.

"I've had extensive training in military tactics and strategy as well as special operations. I hope my knowledge can be put to good use." She eases from her soldier stance slightly by lowering her salute. Not a word is ushered as well all stare at the new girl. She appears to be the type to have a large list of vocabulary.

"Um... That is all." She says as she shyly moves her head away in a movement that I find adorable.

"Please, Ciel, there's no need to remain so tense." Doctor Rachel's soothing voice echoes to my ears as she moves closer to the Blood Unit's newest member. "Welcome to Blood. We are so proud to count you among us. Finally, all of our cadets have been gathered together. Your powers pulse with your heart. You will become leaders. Far beyond the elite of God Eaters, you will be the very saviours of all humanity. Julius." She speaks and the person spoken of steps towards us.

"Blood Special Forces will now shift its focus to tactical cohesion. To that end, I will promote one among us to Vice Captain. Their task will oversee Blood's growth into a truly unified whole. With exceptional combat abilities, a dedication to their allies and awakened Blood Power." Julius steps towards me. I can't quite believe what he is going to say but I know its coming, unless someone else had awoken their Blood Power today.

"You are the most suitable candidate" Julius looks towards me. Even though I knew it was coming, I was still surprised. "Will you accept the position of Vice Captain?" He ask me. I hadn't anticipated this when Emil told me to come to the laboratory. I mean, I've been here for not even one week and I'm already being offered the position of Vice Captain.

"Wow! Vice Captain? So cool!" Nana speaks up. To think that she was the first God Eater that I met here a few days ago. I wonder what thoughts are running through her head with me being promoted like this.

"The ideal choice really. Romeo's unreliable and Nana's... Well... Nana." I smiled at Gilbert's sense of humour. He had changed since the first day he arrived where he kept to himself. Whilst Nana didn't have any complaints about Gil's statement, Romeo did.

"Oh shut up, Gil! You're way worse than me!"

"Yeah, I don't think so. You stand too far from the enemy, you miss and then you call yourself a crack shot." Gilbert replies and commences another argument.

"Oh, look who's talking, Mister Charge-Into-Everyone's-Line-of-Fire... Guy... Yeah!" Romeo adds fuel to the the fire as he steps closer to Gil.

"Who's _everyone_?" Gilbert asks as he takes a step forward.

"Not me, actually." Nana chips in from the middle of the two of them.

"Me, you idiot! Duh!"

"As you can see," Julius begins speaking and brings my attention to him, "team cohesion is still quite worrying. I trust you'll bring them together. Ciel." He turns his attention to her, "Together with Cedrick, you will help to unify the Blood Unit."

"Understood, sir." Ciel confirms that she heard is orders.

"I expect the same of you three." Julius speaks to Nana, Romeo and Gilbert who stop their bickering and stand around as if they were scolded. "I want you all to fight as one mind, each in perfect sync." He speaks to all of us before Ciel steps forward.

"I look forward to working with you, Vice Captain Cedrick. Our task is daunting and there is much to be done. But I believe we shall succeed." Ciel speaks stoically. It may be harder to get along with her than the rest of my unit.


	8. Chapter 8

Chapter 8

DISCLAIMER: I DO NOT OWN THE GOD EATER FRANCHISE HOWEVER I DO OWN MY OC.

Name: Cedrick Esparza

Gender: Male

Hairstyle: Style 7 (Dark Brown)

"I sincerely hope we can do all that is expected of us." After we were all introduced, Ciel had suggested that the two of us have a meeting regarding the Blood Unit. At this suggestion, Doctor Rachel had allowed us access to her laboratory for the meeting and made it so that it was just the two of us by telling everyone else to leave. This is how Ciel started the meeting.

"If it's not improper, Vice Captain, I've a question I'd like to ask." Ciel says with the same stoic look in her face although her voice does not match it. Her voice seems to be saying that she values manners greatly and is therefore using a positive, yet curious tone. I stay silent and thus allow her to continue.

"How many combat operations have you participated in since joining the Blood Unit?" She enquires. It wasn't the type of question I was expecting so I was a little surprised but I answer truthfully,

"Honestly, not many. I've only been here for a few days." I say sheepishly as I scratch the back of my head.

"I see," My answer seems to have pleased her as minute small crosses her face, "so you don't have much first hand battle experience just yet. Neither do I... Thus, beginning in our next sortie, we will focus on advancing Blood's tactical cohesion. Do you have anything you would like to ask of me, Vice Captain?" Ciel asks if I have any questions for our meeting. I couldn't really think of many on the spot that didn't seem like a pick-up line. For instance, "Did it hurt when you fell from heaven?" Of course, I wouldn't say this to her. She has definitely accelerated my mind's growth in the opposite sex. Before she came along, I hadn't really thought about the opposite sex much. That's probably because when I was in Friar I had often seen much more males than females but, of course, I do know the differences between males and females. I'm taking too long thinking about this, I need to ask her a question.

"So... Er... What are you trained in?" I ask her as I remember her saying that she had military training during her introduction.

"Various martial arts, a broad selection of weapons, as well as sabotage, espionage, and assassination." My eyes widened upon hearing how well versed she is, especially when she mentioned assassination. Has she had to assassinate somebody before? I held a bit of fear for the girl now but my curiosity levels had sky-rocketed. "But all of that is nothing compared to the combat seen by those on the front lines." She finishes, maintaining her stoic voice.

"That's very impressive." I compliment her skills since I was genuinely impressed.  
"R-Really? W-well, back to the matter in hand." She becomes flustered at my comment and even, cutely, looks away from me to hide her embarrassment but she soon regains her composure and looks back at me again. "Doctor Rachel shared with me the story of your awakening. She was awed by your skills in combat." Ciel's voice was now a blend of her usual stoical tone with an additions of positivity and wonder. She held a hand to her chest as she spoke. I couldn't help but look at her assets and noticed how developed she was. This was only for the briefest of moments and hopefully, Ciel never noticed where I was looking at. She moves her hand as she speaks,

"I may not have much combat experience, but I hope I can contribute my tactical knowledge to our team." She says with confidence before taking a shy tone again with her actions mirroring this. She looks away, nervously, and I feel the urge to cuddle the adorably cute, shy girl in front of me. I feel as though she would only allow herself to be this way in front of me and keep her usual stoic front on when talking to somebody else. "Erm, in this situation... Um... I;m sorry. How can I put this?" She looks back towards me as she finds the words she was looking for, no longer looking shy, much to my dismay.

"Our abilities may complement each other... If you understand my meaning. Perhaps I can amend some of your shortcomings and you can..." Maybe I spoke to soon about her reverting back to her usual stoic self. She has found the words she was looking for but is awfully shy when vocalising them. She trails off towards the end where I imagine that her nervousness about the situation had peaked.

"Ah! S-sorry," Her adorableness factor has gained a level, "that was rather rude. My apologies, I am not well versed in social conversation." All traces of her shyness had vanished from my mind as I heard that she wasn't used to speaking. Immediately, I want to know why this is the case but Ciel quickly progresses the topic to something else as she pulls out an electronic tablet from behind her back. I'm not sure where she was keeping it but that doesn't really matter.

"By the way, would you look over this document I've prepared?" She asks and presents me with the tablet.

"I have previously analysed everyone's combat data until this point and devised a training regimen." Taking the device from Ciel, I notice that everything is arranged into a sort of schedule. I swipe my finger across the screen to see thins that weren't previously on it.

"Every 24-hour period contains 8 hours for sleep, 2 for eating, and 4 for undertaking our operations." True to her words, the schedule does include this. She has even already scheduled two missions and she isn't quite finished.

"That leaves 4 hours for physical combat readiness training and thee final 6 for classroom study. Also, if you look here" She point to a specific column in the schedule, "I've designed individual training routines for each member. They may not be 100% accurate, but I believe using them will improve the team's combat capability." Ciel finishes and quite honestly, I disagree with her training regimen. There is no time for socialising with each other; it will be important to know each other better and without socialisation it will be significantly harder but I don't have the heart to disagree with her.

"I believe that's all for now. Thank you for your time, Vice Captain." She finishes our meeting with a bow before moving towards the door. She stops before leaving the room completely, instead opting to poke her head through the gap so that she can see me with her hand resting on the door.

"I would advise that you get your rest now. If you are not up and about 30 minutes before our mission is scheduled the I will be forced to wake you up myself." She leaves the laboratory and I take her up on the offer to rest. After all, I've not long ago just used my Blood Power. Speaking of which, am I able to use Blood Arts now?

The next morning, Ciel didn't need to wake me up because somebody else did.

"Vice Captain? Oh, come on. Get up, Cedrick!" Nana shouts and I find myself shooting up from my prone position which I came to regret as the world around me started spinning.

"Do you sleep in your clothes?" I hear her ask and, looking down, I notice that I am still wearing yesterday's clothes which is good news for her. I'd hate to know what she would think if i had wore my usual "attire" for sleep but why is she in here anyway.

"What are you doing in here?" I ask with a hand to my head, trying to stop the world from spinning.

"Have you seen the schedule that Ciel has prepared?! It's practically all training!" Nana shouted before coming towards me and lifting me up by my jacket.

"You need to sort this out!" She didn't exactly sound mad, more like annoyed.

"Yeah, I know. I still need to speak with Ciel about it." I tell her from my high position in the air. Nana didn't look strong but if she can lift her hammer of a God Arc up, there's no surprise that she can lift me up.

"Well, lucky for you, you can tell her when you, Gilbert and Ciel are on your half of the mission." She puts me down and her tone begins to return to the usual tone associated with Nana.

"My half of the - What are you talking about?" I ask her and am met with a sigh.

"You are hopeless. You, Gilbert and Ciel are going on a mission early today and then me, you, Romeo and Ciel are going on another mission. So everyone, apart from Julius and Gilbert, need to go on two missions today."  
"Oh, yeah. I noticed that yesterday. Okay then, I'll bring this issue up with Ciel during the mission." I tell her and she seems to have returned to her normal self. She leaves with a "see ya later" and I proceed to get ready for the day.

50 minutes later and it is time for the mission. The three of us, Gilbert, Ciel and I, have already arrived at the Sunken Grid and are busy searching for an Aragami called "Yaksha".

"Blood Beta, a Yaksha is on the move, heading towards your location." I hear Fran's voice through the earpiece and echo the sentence to my friends. After turning a corner, we find the Yaksha as well as two oddly coloured Ogretails.

"I'll go and clear them out." Gilbert speaks up and begins running towards them. This prompts a sharp response from Ciel but it isn't quick enough as Gilbert starts slashing at the Ogretails, drawing their attention as well as the Yaksha's.

"Gil, hold! Our plan was to fall back when the Yaksha came too close. We can't defeat a monster like that." No matter what happens now, they will chase us.

"Our plan was to show up and kill Aragami." I have to say that I agree with Gilbert's response. I decided to help Gilbert out by assaulting the Yaksha; if I can take its attention away from Gilbert, it would be easier for him to kill the Ogretails.

"The stronger Aragami require more than just your tenacity to defeat. You must learn to strategise." Ciel retorts in her usual stoic voice before joining the fight against the Yaksha. While I'm attacking it with my short blade, Ciel is attacking from range.

"Yeah, well... Sometimes you gotta adapt that strategy." Again, I agree with Gilbert's statement.

"Both of you, calm yourselves. This is the Vice Captain's decision." Julius' voice comes through the earpiece and he isn't alone.

"Yeah, guys, let's all be friends, okay?" Nana speaks through her earpiece to make sure we hear her. It is rather difficult to fight and avoid Aragami attacks whilst listening to people talk in your ear.

"Ciel, keep back and provide support with your gun. Gilbert, keep doing what you are doing." I give them their orders and receive no complaints. I narrowly avoid a bullet shot by the Yaksha which was rather surprising but I soon get over it. In the next 3 minutes, the Ogretails have been defeated and Gil has joined me in melee attacking the Yaksha, allowing us to break three bonds before it finally drops dead.

"I hate to be the bearer of bad news but I need you and Ciel over at the Valley of Ice as soon as possible. I've sent Nana and Romeo ahead so you should be able to meet with them when you get there." Julius' voice comes through my earpiece and I echo this information back to Ciel and Gilbert. Gilbert accepts this and begins a long walk back to Friar whist Ciel and I sprint towards the Valley of Ice.

"By the way, Ciel, we need to revise that schedule you showed me." I say in between breaths as we continue running to our destination.

"Is something wrong with it?" She says easily, I notice that she looks to be in great shape as proved by how she isn't breathless whilst I am.

"There's no time for... Socialising or time for ourselves. We don't need classroom study." I explain to her. I don't even know if there is a classroom on Friar.

"But how will we-"

"We'll figure it out later. Right now, Nana and Romeo are waiting for us." As I interrupt Ciel, we see the two I spoke of come into view and run past them with them following us.

"It's about time you two showed up." Romeo comments.

"Oh, shut up Romeo."

"Nana? What the heck? You were complaining more than me!"

"Our target today is called a Chi-You. The overdeveloped arms make it a deadly opponent in close quarters. We can face it hand to hand, but I would recommend taking a different tack and sniping from a distance." Ciel speaks up and I begin to wonder if she is an athlete. I am forced to stop due to lactic acid build up in my legs and try to regain my breath. The others stop too and luckily there are no other Aragami in the area yet.

"Sniping? Awww... I suck with guns. I wanted to help!" Nana complains about Ciel's suggested tactic. I feel a hand rubbing my back as I am hunched over regaining my breath. I rubs in circles. Once I regain my breath and stand up properly, the hand is removed and I see Romeo giving me a smile.

"Better now?"

"Yeah, thanks." Meanwhile, Ciel and Nana are still talking about sniping.

"Well, we can turn this into a teaching opportunity. We'll get you some good practice." Ciel responds in her stoic voice to which Nana groans.

"Okay, if you think so Ciel, I'll do my best. Here we go! I'm gonna snipe it and snipe it hard, just like Ciel does." Despite Nana's words, there is still a problem; something which Romeo also noticed.

"Uh, Nana? That's a shotgun. Range isn't exactly... It's forte."

"What? What do you mean? Ugh... All right. I guess I'm just gonna have to go old school Hammer style!" She shouts before running to the Chi-You that has just entered combat range.

It took 20 minutes to defeat the Chi-You with it being a foe that we hadn't encountered before. We all survived with a few scrapes although we were hit, more than once, with its gliding attack. Right now, the whole unit has congregated on the lower floor of Friar We've just finished a discussion of the missions which entailed how I performed as the Vice Captain when...

"There's an open-channel distress call coming in. Hold on, connecting now." Fran's voice interrupted our conversation with a sense of urgency.

"This is the 2nd Satellite Base. I think a psion just appeared on our radar, 30km North-North East!" A voice I am unfamiliar with spoke but the panic within it could not b misplaced. "It looks to be leading a group of other Aragami as well. Requesting immediate assistance!"

"Oh no, a psion!" Nana spoke with a tinge of fear in her voice.

"This is an emergency communique to all Blood members! We have a possible psion sighting. Location is consistent with the signal. This is an emergency mobilisation. Localise and destroy." Fran's voice, once again, came over the intercom.

"We gotta go help them! They can't take on a psion by themselves!" Romeo spoke and I'm sure that everyone agreed with him.

"Agreed" Julius confirms my thoughts, "We shall not abandon them. It's time to do as we do best. Blood, move out!"


	9. Chapter 9

Chapter 9

DISCLAIMER: I DO NOT OWN THE GOD EATER FRANCHISE HOWEVER I DO OWN MY OC.

Name: Cedrick Esparza

Gender: Male

Hairstyle: Style 7 (Dark Brown)

Leawright: I don't think that Ciel has assassinated anybody but it would be interesting if she had.

Immediately after Julius' words we all set off to where we the distress signal was sent from, the City of Mercy. It was quite the distance away from Friar so a helicopter was required to carry us all there. It was a relatively peaceful trip apart from the obvious panic of the urgent mission ahead but we were all prepared for it. I had brought many Restore Pills and another pill called O-Ampules. Apparently, they help to restore the amount of Oracle Points for your God Arc. It will definitely be interesting to try them out especially since I use my Arc's Melee form and Gun form equally.

Within the next 5 minutes we arrive at the City of Mercy where we can see an Aragami strolling around at Point D. The Aragami appears to be a Chi-You variant covered from head to toe in blue and yellow feathers.

"We've found the psion. Blood, get ready to jump." Julius takes his commander tone as the helicopter descends a decent amount so that we could jump onto the floor where, even if we mess up the landing, we would survive with minimal injuries. The Captain soon jumps out and I follow him only seconds later. Our landing in Point C attracts the attention of the Aragami where, in the same fashion as a Chi-You, it extends its hand in a 'bring it on' motion. The others land on the ground just as three more monsters arise from the undergrowth around the Chi-You lookalike.

"Well, I wasn't expecting this." Julius comments on the additions of the three Aragami.

"The ability to summon Aragami to defend itself. This is very intriguing." Ciel also comments with an impressed tone.

"You can be impressed later. Right now, we've got to defeat this thing. Julius, Gilbert, Ciel, you take care of the Chi-You variant. Nana, Romeo, we'll take care of these Ogretail variants." I give out the commands and am met with responses of "ok", "right" or Nana's "no problem." We all head off towards our targets. I decided to give the most inexperienced people the easier, smaller targets. I know that Romeo has been in Blood at least one year but, at the moment, we need three people to take care of the smaller Aragami and he, from my knowledge, hasn't been educated in martial arts, like Ciel, hasn't had a lot of experience, like Gilbert, and doesn't have the skills of the Captain so he would be better off with Nana and I.

I ran towards the blue and yellow feathered Ogretail variant on the very left. I swung my Arc at the monster where I got an immediate response of the monster attempting to decapitate me with a large bite but my quickly deployed shield protected me from harm. The beast sprung backwards once it realised it had missed its target which gave me the chance to swing my Arc again. One slash, two slashes, three slashes, four and the monster collapsed but continued to breath. I moved behind the beast to continue my slashing when I suddenly felt a huge burst of energy and I was suddenly able to slash without my stamina levels rapidly depleting.

"Is this a Blood Art?" I vocalise due to my surprise at my sudden energy burst but my surprise is short-lived as the monster stands up, facing away from me allowing me to continue my slashes. This turned out to be a flaw in my logic as the monster quickly spins around with its tail slapping me to the side. In my surprise the grip on my Arc had loosened and it fell out of my hand. I landed hard on my side with a cry of pain. I looked around for any sign of my God Arc to find that it was a measurable distance away from me. I look back to the Ogretail variant with the hope that the beast wasn't paying attention so that I could get my Arc without difficulty. Unfortunately for me, hope wasn't something I could rely on. To my fear, the monster had reared its tail above its head in the same fashion as an Ogretail, and due to my experiences, I know what happens next. The monster then shot feathered spikes towards me and time seemed to slow down. Sweat began pouring from my head like a waterfall and my breathing became more erratic. The feathered spikes were continually closing the distance between me and them but when somebody's foot enters my line of vision I suddenly feel a burst of energy. I scamper to the side and grab my Arc before turning my attention back to the Ogretail variant and the person who assisted me. I was just able to see Ciel deploy her shield and the spikes ricocheted off of it. There were a few stray spikes that weren't blocked but they were too wide of the target to do any harm.

"Thanks Ciel." I tell her and pat her shoulder as I run past her, feeling my energy soar and my determination reaching similar levels. "You go back to helping Julius and Gilbert." I swing at the beast a couple more times before avoiding its jaws by lowering my head and shoulders so that its neck was right above my right shoulder. This gave me an ample opportunity to pierce its neck and it rapidly turned to a black sludge, some of which clung to my shirt.

"I didn't even get the chance to devour its core." I sigh before turning my attention to the others. There appears to be only one Ogretail variant left which Romeo and Nana are decimating. Turning to the Chi-You variant, I notice that Julius has narrowly avoided a few ice shards and has a faint blue glow surrounding him. I had no idea what this meant but decided to provide extra support for the three of them. I change my Arc to Gun form and start firing at the monster. It doesn't have much effect but something is better than nothing.

"Blood Beta, the Yan Zhi has changed its targets. You are now being targeted by the Yan Zhi." Fran's voice comes through my earpiece and when I raise my God Arc, I notice the same blue hue that was around Julius now around me. Raising my head and looking towards the beast I notice that it is at least 10 metres in the air and has its claws aimed at me.

"Oh come on!" I speak in retaliation before quickly rolling to the side, narrowly missing its talons. I move back over to it and begin swinging my Arc and, once I've swung and hit it four times, I feel the same burst as energy as earlier when I was facing off against the feathered Ogretail. This Aragami feels the brunt of my swings as it collapses to one knee which allows me to continually strike it but I'm not the only one who attacks it. The monster faces the continuous onslaught of attacks from the entire Blood Unit. It doesn't get back up and I devour its core.

"Good work, Blood. We did well against our first psion." Julius commends the group.

"Yeah, we all performed well. Well done, guys." I chipped into the conversation.

"Can we save the congratulations for when we get back? I've got some things I want to do." Gilbert speaks up with a tone of urgency in his voice.

"Oh yeah? Like what? Lounging around for the rest of the day?" Romeo retorts, causing an argument between the two.

"What's it to you?" Gilbert's response was short and simple.

"Come on, guys. Knock it off." I try to reprimand them but they just ignore me.

"You'll get the hang of it eventually. Just make sure that the two of them don't get into a fight whilst I call for a helicopter to pick us up." Julius tells me before walking a few paces ahead and speaking into his earpiece, presumably to Fran.

"-no, you're the one who always causes arguments." I hear Romeo speak before a nerve snaps.

"Listen you two! If you don't shut up you won't be getting paid after this mission!" I raise my voice at them where they begin shouting back. At least I now have their attention.

"You can't do that!" They both shout.

"Oh yes I can. Consider it as a tax. For every argument you both get into you will lose 100 Fenrir Credits (FC)." I cross my arms as I tell them this which instantly shuts them up.

"Thank you. Now, we should keep an eye out for any more Aragami so pay attention." I speak before turning around, keeping my eyes open for any Aragami that may decide to sneak up on us. I hear the two of them sigh before, I assume, also looking out for any sneaky beasts.

A few minutes later, and after Julius has returned and told us about the impending helicopter pick-up, we hear an unfamiliar voice.

"Thanks for killing that Aragami, but who the heck are you all?" The owner of the voice was clearly female and I begin turning myself around to greet her but Julius beats me to it. I see no need in introducing myself yet and resume to searching for any remaining Aragami.

"My apologies. I am Julius Visconti, Captain of Fenrir's Blood Special Forces Unit. We were summoned by an open-channel distress signal from this location." Julius introduces himself and the unit.

"Ah, of course. I'm Alisa Ilinichina Amiella of Cradle. We're an independent unit with the Far East Branch. Um... Thanks for coming to our aid." The woman introduces herself as Alisa. She sounds like a sweet girl and has the proper etiquette. There should be no reason that we can't get along.

"It's our pleasure." Julius speaks and I hear Nana, to my right, say something like "that's taken care of". Looking up into the sky, I see the helicopter and it isn't too far away so it should be landing in the next 10 minutes or so. I realise that the flow of language between Julius and the newcomer has stopped and look in their direction. I see that they both are looking at me. Now I have the chance to see the newcomer. The woman has straight, white hair and wears a white jacket which doesn't close because of her chest as well as a red chequered skirt with black thigh-length shoes. After checking out her attire, I look towards her face to see that her eyes hold some sort of sadness. I notice that Julius is also looking at me but he returns his sight to Alisa soon after.

"Hm? Do you know my Vice Captain?" At Julius' words, Alisa returns her attention to him.

"Huh? No, it's just... I was reminded of someone I know." Alisa spoke with a tinge of sadness in her voice which implies that either she can't see the person I remind her of because the person is dead or just a long distance away from her. I find myself drifting towards the former.

"I see." Julius speaks, I wonder if he had sensed the emotion in her voice as well"I beg your pardon, Captain." Ciel speaks up and I feel multiple large gusts of wind in my direction. I realise that the helicopter must have been closer than I first thought as it hovers about one metre in the air.

"We're ready to return to base, sir."

"Understood. Let's depart. Farewell, Miss Amiella." Julius speaks and I give the woman a nod of my head before moving towards the helicopter.

Once we returned to Friar, I went straight to my room where I collapsed onto the bed. I didn't even care for Fran's kind words, all I wanted to do was rest. Seconds after my head hit the pillow, I felt myself drift into sleep. Or at least, that's what I hoped. Instead, I was given a rather rude awakening my three sharp knocks on the cabinet beside my bed. In a panic, I almost jump two metres off of my bed and notice Ciel standing beside it. I must have been so exhausted that I didn't even hear her enter my room but I can't be blamed. I've had to complete three missions today with the last one being very urgent.

"Vice Captain, what are your thoughts on our fight against the psion?" She asked suddenly, there wasn't even an apology for interrupting my attempt to sleep.

"Something on your mind, Ciel?" I ask with a light groan, trying to mask how annoyed I was to see her at the present time. Couldn't this have waited until morning?

"That battle... We had no plan, no discipline... We fought haphazardly from beginning to end. We're too reliant on our individual abilities. As a team - as a small unit - that can't be right. To ensure victory, we must value strategy. We need an SOP to define our roles within a cohesive team. But perhaps I've overstepped my boundaries. I want to think about this a little longer." With that, Ciel leaves my room and I can't help but think one thing. That conversation definitely could have waited until morning. Oh well, now I can sleep. I fall back onto my bed. It takes a few minutes before I feel myself begin to drift off and I allow sleep to overcome me.

The next day was more relaxing. There was only one mission and that would be against one Ukonvasara but there would only be Ciel and I against it but this may be a way to prove that logic doesn't always work in these types of missions. We've just killed the four roaming Cocoon Maidens and are looking for our main target.

"Remember that crushing attacks to its arms are most effective." Ciel speaks up whilst cautiously holding her God Arc in Gun Form.

"I don't suppose that you have a gun with crushing bullets?" I ask her as I notice her sniper rifle which I know usually always has piercing bullets.

"I...er... No." She says, turning away in a cute fashion before her eyes return to me, "Sniper rifles mainly use piercing bullets." She speaks and I turn my God Arc into Gun Form to show that I also have a sniper rifle.

"I know." I gesture towards my God Arc. "So, what's the plan now?"

"Well, we can strike from far away-"

"But the Ukonvasara will be able to quickly close the distance with its sliding attack and my Arc's Melee Form is a knife. I won't be able to attack it from far away with a short blade like this." I turn my God Arc into its Melee Form to prove a point.

"Have you thought about using something with a longer blade? There are many choices-"

"I prefer to be up close to my enemy hence why I use a short blade. I just need to improve upon this Arc because it is starting to become ineffective. I just need a few materials-" A sudden roar cuts me off and we look to its source. The Ukonvasara has appeared not even 5 metres away from us atop of a ledge...

Remarkably, it only takes three minutes to kill the Aragami and we both came away from it with minimal injuries. We instantly headed home where we split ways. I headed to my room and I'm not sure where Ciel went but I came across Doctor Leah on my way and gave her a bow as a greeting. Unexpectedly, she decided to stop and talk to me.

"Ah, hello. Uh, tell me something. How is Ciel getting along? Is she fitting in well with the rest of the unit?" Her sudden question surprises me but I answer truthfully.

"She's... She's no quite there yet."

"I thought as much." Her sentence makes me curious. "She was born into a prominent military bloodline. Rachel took her in after the death of her parents. At Magnolia Compass, she was put through viciously intense military training. She was constantly tested under extreme stress and chastened for the smallest error. By the time I'd met her, she'd follow orders without pause. She was precise... almost mechanical. She and Julius were close in age, perhaps that's why Rachel assigned her to act as his bodyguard. They never truly became friends though. Maybe because those rules were foisted upon them." Doctor Leah seemed to know a lot about Ciel. I could only draw one conclusion from this but I had to ask to see if my hypothesis was right.

"Are you interested in Ciel?" I ask her. Of course, I didn't mean romantically interested, just as a person.

"Aren't you interested?" She asks me as she raises a hand to her face. "I haven't been this interested in a person since the Chi-You of the Far East." This also raised my curiosity levels but I'm already occupied with Ciel's situation at the moment.

"Heh. I was the closest thing to a friend she had. I certainly spoke to her more than anyone else at Magnolia Compass. She seems to have begun taking herself a little less seriously since she arrived. It's nice to see her smile." She regains her previous posture.

"Maybe it's he atmosphere Blood Unit has developed. Even Julius is more approachable than before. Ciel isn't really great with other people, but she seems like she is trying to change. Be nice to her. Thanks for taking the time to talk." She gives me a wave. "I'll see you later." She then walks away and I continue my walk to my room where I have a hell of a lot to think about.

Walking into my room, I am met with another surprise. Ciel is, once again, standing in my room with her eyes fixated on me. It would seem that she has been waiting for a while.

"Vice Captain, I've been hoping we could talk. I think I've come to understand the importance of reacting to a shifting battle. But I believe that when unexpected changes come, we need to act as the leadership commands. Am I wrong?"

"Well, I don't disagree." I tell her honestly and move further into my room, contemplating how she had gotten in here when I was sure that I had locked it before I left.

"But that's not enough on its own, you mean?" Ciel asks inquisitively with a small tilt of her head. Adorable but that doesn't change the fact that-

"-God Eaters aren't tools." This gets a sharp response from Ciel.

"I don't think we are! I only want us to reliably carry out our missions..." Can I sense anger coming from Ciel? "What you're saying is... I need to think of my team and respond together with them to the shifting battle... I understand. I'll... Try my best to change. Thank you, Vice Captain." She promptly leaves the room after making my brain explode. I had no idea what she was talking about but I'll sort it out tomorrow...


	10. Chapter 10

Chapter 10

DISCLAIMER: I DO NOT OWN THE GOD EATER FRANCHISE HOWEVER I DO OWN MY OC.

Name: Cedrick Esparza

Gender: Male

Hairstyle: Style 7 (Dark Brown)

Today started like any other. I completed my morning routine which includes dressing myself, eating and brushing my teeth. However, for a change, I decided to go up to the garden. It would be refreshing to go up to it and feel the morning sun on my skin and I won't have any early morning visitor- There's somebody already here. I can see the silhouette of a woman standing right in the middle of the path. When I walk closer to it, I see that the figure is mainly dressed in white. Just from the being dressed part I knew it was Ciel. What Nana wears can't really count as being dressed.

"Ciel, I didn't expect to see you up here so soon." I say with a smile on my face as she seems surprised to hear me. She turns in my direction with the surprise on her face.

"Vice Captain? What a coincidence. I need to speak with you." Ciel informs me of her intention to speak with me, probably regarding what she said last night. I am shocked that she didn't just barge into my room to speak with me, like she has done previously, but she must have noticed that it wasn't very polite to do that and therefore stopped.

"I've been hoping for an opportunity to speak with you about this for some time..." Getting a better look at the woman, it appears as though she was thinking about this all of last night as she has black bags under her eyes. They're only visible if you really concentrate on her face though.

"Did you get any sleep last night?" I ask in concern. This thing she wants to tell me must be bad if she was kept awake all night.

"Yes, plenty. Why do you ask?"  
"Your eyes say otherwise. You've got black circles under them." She raised a hand to touch them but she quickly changes the subject as she speaks while moving her hand back to her side.

"Blood is incredible. They are not only elite warriors; they are versatile, capable and daring. To be honest, they are far more than I expected." Her sudden praises of our unit is slightly unexpected considering that she, herself, told me that we rely on our own individual abilities rather than the whole team's.

"They synchronise without effort and are constantly aware of not only their own tactical situation, but each of their allies'. They've come far. My point being" She turns her head away momentarily, "that the level of strategic capability that they have shown far outstrips my own, far outstrips each of us individually." I don't understand. Is Ciel saying that our ability to improvise is better than planning out a strategy?

"Vice Captain... I believe this to be the result of the relationships you have developed with us. To be honest, the way Blood interacts, I've begun to question all I've been taught as a soldier. Ah! Please, do not misunderstand, it is not a bad feeling. In fact it's... How can I put this?" She looks around, avoiding my eyes as she tries to find the right words. I must admit that her embarrassment is pretty cute.

"Erm... I... I don't know quite how to explain it. Hmm... I'm sorry for all this."

"Don't be." I let a large smile take over my face, of course, I won't tell her why I was smiling.

"Vice Captain," She regains her composure and faces me with a stoic face, "there is something I wish to ask of you. P-Please... Please be my friend!" Ciel's sudden request shocks me to the core as she bows her head. I didn't expect her to ask for my friendship but, then again, I already thought of her as a friend. Did she not think of me as one? Is this what she was contemplating over last night? She raises her head to speak again but maintains her bow, she looks almost like a dog. Cute.

"So... W-Will you?" Did she think that I would refuse her?

"Of course, Ciel! Although, I must admit that I already considered you to be a friend." I say with a hand scratching my head and another on my hip in an attempt to hide my embarrassment.

"Re-Really? You truly mean that?" She eases her posture out of her bow.

"I wouldn't lie about something like that." I stop scratching as I look her directly in the eyes. I know how hard it is to make friends. After all, I did live in an almost secluded section of Fenrir where contact with any other than my uncle was limited.

"Thank you... Vice Ca- Cedrick, thank you so much!" A small smile breaks out onto her usually stoic face and it makes me smile as well before the embarrassment of the situation catches up with her and she turns away.

"My apologies, I know this is... An uncommon way to go about it. I've always seen friendship from afar and wanted nothing more... A unit that doesn't rely on orders, but on each other. Ah... If I my be so bold, I have one small request to make." Her nervousness is cute.

"May I... Tell others that you are my friend?" She still looks away. I must admit that, although I didn't expect this conversation when I woke up this morning, the heart warming atmosphere of the situation has definitely woke me up. What a nice way to start the morning, knowing that the woman who was finding it hard to fit into the Blood Unit has found a friend in me is truly heart warming.

"Yes. Of course you may." A large smile crosses my face again as I speak.

"I am so glad. You know... You're the first friend I've ever had." My smile grows smaller, sad for the fact that there is another like me who didn't have any friends. Thankfully, I was able to make friends easily. It must have been so difficult on Ciel though.

"I cannot tell you how much this means to me. You make me feel strong and brave. Maybe even enough to grow close to the others as well." Again, it was heart warming to hear all of this and I begin to think that I want to feel this way forever. I gave a sincere smile as I spoke,

"Thanks for the compliment, Ciel. I hope you do grow close to the rest of the team. It would be great if we could all get along. Although, that's easier said than done. Romeo and Gilbert would still argue."

"Yeah, you're right. Anyway, I'd best prepare for our mission."

"Mission?" I repeat in surprise.

"Yeah, the two of us and Romeo are to exterminate a herd of small Aragami pretty soon. I suggest you get ready as well." Ciel informs me before walking out of the garden. A few seconds later, I also leave the garden and head back to my room with the intention of logging onto my terminal and upgrading my God Arc. Hopefully, I'll have the materials and the funds I need.

Logging onto the terminal, I find out that I do have the necessary materials and money needed for an upgrade. My new God Arc is now a Fiery Knife. It looks almost like an exact duplicate of the Knife only this one is red and specialises in Blaze attacks. As for the statistics, it appears that, while there has been a downgrade in slashing quality, there has been an upgrade in piercing quality; meaning that I should probably use more piercing attacks to damage Aragami now. After completing the improvements to my God Arc on the terminal, I headed to the God Arc Storage Area. I am already equipped with Restore Pills and O-Ampules so no other equipment is necessary apart from my God Arc. Speaking of which, I wonder if I can change my Blood Art as well. I'll need to ask about that in the future.

At last, it is mission time. Ciel, Romeo and I have just landed in the Wailing Plains where a large tornado remains stationary in the middle. It looks like we won't be able to get too close to the tornado. Alas, that is a problem for later. Right now, there is a herd of small Aragami consisting of Ogretails and Dreadpikes coming from ledges near the tornado.

"Romeo, go left. Ciel, go right." I shout and they split off, going their different ways while I take care of the three Aragami left for me. I may not be as experienced, but with an upgraded God Arc, I feel invincible.

I run towards the first Aragami which happens to be an Ogretail. The most dangerous Aragami in this small herd since the Dreadpikes only have close range attacks whilst Ogretails have both. I evade the monster's jaws with ease and pierce its neck, rending it incapacitated and finish it off with swing of my God Arc to its neck.

"Wooh!" I shout in excitement at how easy it was to kill the Ogretail before turning my attention to the closest Dreadpikes. I turn my God Arc into Gun Form and fire four Blaze bullets at the Aragami where it falls to the ground, unmoving.

"This is too easy." I revert my Arc back to Melee Form and sprint towards the remaining Dreadpike and pierce it a few times. Unfortunately, I don't get the final kill as a bullet from someone's Arc destroys the monster.

"You're getting too excited, Cedrick." Romeo speaks from beside me.

"Sorry about that." I apologise and scratch my head nervously. It would appear that I got too carried away. "That was my kill though." I tell him in a competitive manner. I see that he is about to retort when Ciel's voice comes through our earpieces.

"An unidentified Aragami has just appeared at my location. It looks to be a rather large one. I'm going to need help to defeat it."

"Okay, Ciel. We're on our way." I speak and give Romeo a nod of the head, to which he nods back, and we head off the same way that Ciel went when we split up.

It turns out that Ciel had almost defeated the monster single handedly and it only took a few bullets from Romeo and I to finish it off. After that, we had called to be picked up where we were told to head to Director Grem's Office. Upon arrival, the whole unit lined up opposite of Doctor Rachel and Doctor Leah. It feels like years since I last heard Doctor Rachel's calm, soothing voice.

"Pssst! Are those two really sisters? They don't look much like sisters... Just sayin'!" Romeo whispered loudly to me. He may as well have spoke in his usual volume because the two in question weren't really paying attention but when the doors slam open, all attention is drawn to the two figures that walk into the room. One of the two is Director Grem and the other one I don't know but he is rather slim and is wearing a lab coat.

"buying in bulk will ensure profit, Kujo! That's the end goal, not your petty research. Stop being a coward and grow a damn spine!" Director Grem speaks as he holds onto a cigar. He identifies the man as Kujo and, judging by his speech, Kujo is a researcher.

"Ah, well then. We'll continue this later." Grem speaks before taking another puff of his cigar with the smoke drifting in Nana's direction. I feel bad that she is standing at the end of the column when she coughs badly and covers her mouth.

"We're glad you could finally make time to join us, Director Grem." I look to Doctor Rachel as she speaks. Clearly she was very happy about being made to wait for him.

"What she means is 'thank you for coming'." Doctor Leah speaks as she lifts herself off of the couch and gives a slight bow. "We're sure you're busy."

"Very, Doctor, very. Pardon me if I forego more idiotic pleasantries. Why are we moving my fortress to the Far East? I gave no such order." At the Grem's words, I fail to hold back my surprise as my eyebrows raise.

"Ah, you likely haven't met." I return my eyes to Doctor Rachel. She introduces me to the Director with an air of disdain in her voice as she speaks of him. "This... gentlemen... is Director Grem: advisor to Fenrir HQ and Commander of Friar." The person in introduction doesn't take too kindly to his question being disregarded.

"You are beginning to try my patience, Rachel. Why don't you take after your sister a little more."

"hehehe... Do mind your manners before the Director, Rachel." Doctor Leah 'playfully scolds' her sister.

"Of course. We need to see Blood and God Arc Soldiers together in combat situations." Rachel explains her reasoning behind moving Friar to the Far East in a simple, matter of fact voice.

"There are more than enough Aragami here. There's no need to travel to that madhouse! I won't put my operation at risk on some whim." It seems that Grem isn't too fond of Rachel's plan judging by his annoyed voice.

"HQ does not simply grant approval to anyone who asks. They insisted on seeing the God Arc Soldiers in combat with various Aragami."

"Ah, I see... Even so." I'm not quite sure what happened but it would seem as though Rachel won in the little conversation. She certainly has a way with words.

"Miss Yuno makes her home at the Far East Branch. She does command much influence with Fenrir. It would be wise to grant her some aid." Leah provides extra motivation for the Director to move the fortress to the Far East. With a reluctant sigh, Grem agrees,

"Very well. I allow this frivolous exercise. However, I want assurances that neither Blood nor the God Arc Soldiers shall take casualties." Grem speaks, to my surprise, with a determined voice when speaking about casualties. He doesn't seem like the type of person to care about his warriors.

"None at all. I'd never dream of betraying your trust." Rachel gives him what he wants.

"Hm... Very well! Submit your proposal. I care not. Doctor Leah, would you remain for a while? The rest of you may go." No sooner had he said that I began walking towards the door. The man gave off a displeasing aura and I didn't want to be stuck in the same room as him for more than I had to be. The rest of the unit followed in my steps. I made sure to wait at the door though, so I could hold it open for Doctor Rachel to leave. It was a few seconds later but she did emerge through the door and gave a sweet, heart warming "thank you, Cedrick" before returning to her laboratory. Everyone else had already went their separate ways so I decided to head back to my room to rest for the night. After all, a well rested God Eater is much better at fighting than one that hasn't rested for as long.

Morning came quicker than I had hoped and thus, so did the missions. According to Ciel, seeing as how Friar has set course for the Far East and won't reach there for a long while, we will still need to do missions. This mission in particular pitted the two of us, as well as Nana and Romeo, against a Yaksha and a few small Aragami. To be honest, is sounds as though the smaller Aragami will be the tougher opponents since Yaksha's use their gun-like arm or attacks which are mostly all ranged. So as long as we can hit the beast up close, we should have no problem. Speaking of problems, Nana and I have just come across the smaller Aragami, two Ogretails which fall after a few cleverly timed stealth attacks.  
"Romeo is incapacitated. Someone go and help him." Fran's voice suddenly came through the earpiece telling us of Romeo's condition. This greatly surprised the two of us since Romeo is the most experienced God Eater on the team. Does this mean that Ciel is also running into difficulty? In response to Fran, I spoke that the two of us were on our way.

Upon reaching Romeo and Ciel's destination, the two of us could see that Ciel was having trouble fighting off the Aragami by herself.

"Nana, help Ciel. I'll move Romeo to the side." I gave out a command and she followed orders. She immediately moved to help Ciel with an "aye-aye sir" whilst I proceeded to move Romeo's body out of the middle of the battlefield. He is definitely heavier than he looks but I manage to move him to the side and switch my Arc to Gun Form where I can fire at the Aragami and take O-Ampules to restore my Arc's Oracle Points. The beast soon comes tumbling to the ground and I take my eyes away from them to check over Romeo. Other than a few scratches, he seems okay and probably only fainted from exhaustion.

"Cedrick, Ciel, are you two finished with your mission?" Julius' Captain voice comes over our earpieces.

"Yes, we have just defeated the rogue Aragami but Romeo appears to have suffered an injury." Ciel answers in a stoic voice.

"No he hasn't. He collapsed due to, what I expect is, exhaustion. There are no injuries other than a few scratches." I speak and halt the worrying of the people listening.

"Ah, okay then. Cedrick, I want you to take Romeo to the infirmary aboard Friar. After that, you will meet Ciel and I in the Director's Office." I fail to hide my groan but receive no scolding from him, leading me to suspect that, he too, doesn't like the situation of being in Grem's Office again. Nevertheless, upon returning to Friar, I drop Romeo off at the infirmary after giving him a piggy-back all of the way here and head inside of Director Grem's office.

Inside of the Director's Office sits him with Kujo and Leah standing opposite in front of his desk. She doesn't stay for very long though as she leaves us before Julius speaks.

"Reporting in, Director Grem, I was informed you wish to speak with my team and I?" Julius spoke with his Captain's voice. It was a clever tactic to not speak with your emotions when addressing people of higher ranks. I may have to use this. With an exasperated sigh, Grem speaks in an exasperated tone,

"As per Dr. Rachel's request, I want your Blood Unit to take the lead in conducting the upcoming God Arc Soldier exercises. To elaborate, I/... Erm..." He appears to be lost for words and he quickly dumps responsibility onto Kujo, "elaborate for me." He speaks to him.

"Of course, Director. I understand that you, Captain Visconti, and you, Ms. Alencon, worked under Dr. Rachel and Dr. Leah." Kujo waits for an answer.

"Yes, that's true. They raised us, in fact. Both Ciel and I served as test pilots in earlier phases of the God Arc Soldier project." Julius' response seems to have enlightened Kujo's mood.

"Very good. Yes, very good indeed. Then I'll be brief. I need you to observe the Soldiers in combat and defend them... I-if necessary. We require 1 on 1 combat data, so your task is to clear the operations area. Please ensure that nearby Aragami will not be a threat." Kujo speaks to Julius and I have lost all train of thought with this conversation. Not that my train was on the tracks anyway, but still.

"Hey, Ciel." I lean over to whisper to Ciel, "Do you have any idea what's going on?" I asked her.

"I'll tell you soon. If I forget, it will more than likely be in our next mission's description." She tells me in a hushed voice, keeping her head facing forward.

"So we're to play the opening act?" Julius speak a locution; something to which I I have noticed he is quite fond of.

"Exactly. And you best not forget it, boy." Grem seemingly didn't think too highly of Julius. "The God Arc Soldiers are to be the stars of this show. Do I make myself understood?"

"Yes, sir." Julius speaks with a small bow.

"Excellent. You'll be briefed onsite, etcetera, etcetera. Mission requisites and such. Handle it, Kujo, I'm a busy man."

"Of course. Erm, Captain Visconti, I'll go into more detail at the mission briefing. I-if that's acceptable." Kujo speaks to Julius and I receive a nudge on my arm from Ciel as if to say 'I told you so'. Or at least, that's what I thought it meant.

"Very well. Thank you, Doctor. Until then." Julius spoke, dismissing us without further word. Once outside of the Office, Julius had spoke to us about getting rest because tomorrow would be an action packed day, but when is it not when you live the life of a God Eater...


	11. Chapter 11

Chapter 11

DISCLAIMER: I DO NOT OWN THE GOD EATER FRANCHISE HOWEVER I DO OWN MY OC.

Name: Cedrick Esparza

Gender: Male

Hairstyle: Style 7 (Dark Brown)

God Arc: Fiery Knife,

Once the sun rose, and thus declaring a new day, all of those in the Blood Unit had to sit in for a mission briefing courtesy of Doctor Kujo. It wasn't exactly the best presented mission briefing and I had to force myself to stay awake but I needed to pay attention. This is because I was to manage a team consisting of Nana, Romeo, Gilbert and I in defending a God Arc Soldier whilst Julius and Ciel both had to take care of one each. Therefore, it would be on my hands if anything happened to either Blood or the God Arc Soldier we were required to defend. Now, I would be lying if I said that this didn't make me sweat buckets but I've already managed a team by myself so I don't see how another addition, albeit a metal one, would affect how the team battles. Nevertheless, a mission is a mission. We've just got to make sure that we succeed on this one because this could affect how we fight Aragami in the future. So much research has gone into this project so it is important that we, the Blood Unit, do not fail in our part of it.

Right now, we have successfully supported the God Arc soldier to the Valley of Blue Ice without any major difficulties. There were a few Aragami that I now know to be Zygotes but Romeo and Nana took care of them with ease. However, it would appear that w are about to run into our first major problem.

"Blood Beta, there are multiple medium-sized Aragami signatures in your area. They look to be a Kongou and a Chi-You. I recommend splitting into two teams. One team defends the God Arc Soldier whilst the other team takes out the two Aragami." Fran's voice comes through my earpiece and I raise a hand to it to hear her more clearly.

"Thank you, Fran. We'll do that." I speak into my earpiece before addressing my friends.

"There are two Aragami ahead; a Kongou and a Chi-You. Nana, Romeo, I want you two to stay with the God Arc Soldier while Gilbert and I take care of the Aragami. Do you think you can do that?" I ask the two in question.

"Oh," Nana groaned, "I wanted to beat up more Aragami." She sounded depressed.

"Yeah, sure. You can rely on us." Romeo speaks up with a bit of enthusiasm. I'm glad he has the right attitude for it. Hopefully some of it will make Nana more enthusiastic.

"Thanks, Romeo. Don't forget, Nana, that you have already had fun beating up Aragami. You need to let us take care of a few too." I speak to her with a smile on my face to show that I'm not upset at her unmotivated attitude. "I'll let you take care of the next one, okay?" I offer her a solution and she takes it with a smile and an eager nod of the head. Sorting out that problem, I turn to Gilbert,

"Gil, do you think you can handle the Chi-You by yourself?" Gilbert attempts to answer my question but the louder voice of Romeo interrupts,

"Good idea, Cedrick. You wouldn't want to be hit with one of his bullets."

"What is that supposed to mean? You know very well that I am more accurate than you. You stand too far away from the Aragami and complain when you don't hit it." Gilbert retorts as he puts one foot in front of another to get into Romeo's personal space. Romeo does the same thing.

"We haven't the time for arguments. Gilbert, I trust that you can handle the Chi-You since you are the most experienced God Eater here. I'll take care of the Kongou. If one of us happens to finish first then they can help the other in defeating the remaining Aragami." I inform Gil of the plan before turning to Nana and Romeo.

"Nana, Romeo, you will bring the Soldier" I point to the grey metal behind them, "along with me. It will watch how I fight and learn my tactics. Does everybody understand?" The nods of their heads is all I need before I jump off of the ledge and hear Gilbert land behind me only seconds later.

We run towards the Kongou with Gilbert running past me once we reach it. It notices me immediately and tries to intimidate me by hitting its fists against the ground. It doesn't work though. I've seen more intimidating Aragami than a simple Kongou. I set myself in a combat position. I had researched Aragami earlier in the week when I had a bit of time to myself and found out that Kongou are weak to the Blaze attribute. Thankfully, I had chosen to stick with my Fiery Knife which, coupled with my Blood Art, will be very effective against the Kongou I am facing now. I decided to make the first attack as I run towards the Kongou and slash at its arm. It doesn't do much damage but I can't strike again as the beast charges up some sort of attack that makes the air surround it. I sidestep away from the monster just as it releases the pent up air surrounding it. I charge back at the monster and slash at it two more times before it tries to squash me with its body weight. Now I have that advantage seeing as how the monster is face down on the ground. I run behind it so that I can attack its tail. When I was researching, I heard that the tail was pretty sensitive so I began slashing at that. I complete five slashes before I feel a burst of energy and suddenly start slashing with even more pace. However, the Kongou had began stumbling back to its feet after my fifth hit so I wasn't just hitting its tail anymore. In fact, my slashes were now hitting either its tail, back, or back legs. By means unknown, the monster somehow spins 180o and swings its right arm at me. It connects with my side and it throws me a couple of metres away from where I was standing. My side throbs in pain.

"That's definitely going to bruise." I speak as I clamber to my feet before shaking off the injury. I wish I hadn't been so careless now as I feel another hit only this time I am thrown 20 metres away and into a wall.

"Gah!"I shout in pain before picking myself out of the crevice. Every muscle I move sends a shock of pain through my body. I clench my teeth as I push through the pain. Looking back to the Aragami, I see that it has rolled up into a ball and is heading straight for me. If that attack hits me it will surely be the end of me. My hands sweat a little as I think this but I refuse to fear the Kongou. It is just another monster that needs to be rid of the world.

"You don't deserve to exist!" I shout as I narrowly evade the Kongou with a side step before launching myself towards it with my blade raised. Either my power has increased dramatically or this Kongou's limbs are too soft as my blade pierces through one of its hind legs.

"Grraaaahhhh!" Now I haven't heard an Aragami scream but if this is what a Kongou sounds like when it screams, I'd love to hear what other Aragami scream like. I extract my Arc from its hind leg and see that it has left a rather deep wound. It is deep enough to see another layer of of golden brown skin behind the thick, black sludge oozing out of the wound. The sight of the Aragami's blood puts my body into overdrive. Slash after slash after slash with no regards to the swirling tornado of air from under me. In fact, the Aragami can't even land a hit on me as I always make it flinch after each every 5 hits or so. It takes another 25 hits with increasing power before the beast falls to its stomach, it roars with its final breath.

"you finished too, huh?" Gilbert speaks and I turn my head as he approaches me.

"Yeah, I did run into a bit of trouble though, but nothing that I couldn't handle. How did it go on your end?" I ask him and notice the sound of more footprints on the ground. I know that Nana, Romeo and the God Arc Soldier are walking towards us.

"Same story. Handling a Chi-You by yourself is pretty difficult, especially because of its gliding attacks. Sometimes you have to roll under it to avoid it." Gilbert speaks before the others enter the field of conversation.

"Good job guys." Nana speaks enthusiastically and her face mimics this but I notice that Romeo is staring into the sky.

"Guys. This doesn't look good." Intrigued by Romeo's panicked expression, I ask him about what doesn't look good and also look towards the sky to see if I could see it.

"What doesn't look good?" I stay calm as a leader should in this situation.

"It's a red nimbus!" He shouts as he points to the approaching red clouds.

"Come in, Blood!" Fran's startled voice suddenly appears through our earpieces. "Can you confirm a red nimbus?" She sounded panicked as well. I haven't seen a red nimbus myself but it must be pretty dangerous. It happened quite often back at Fenrir HQ but I was never told of how dangerous it was, only that I shouldn't ever go out in one.

"Yeah, it's Gil. We can confirm the clouds here." Gilbert answers Fran through the earpiece.

"I've heard rumours but I've never actually seen any. This is insane." Romeo speaks as he walks a few paces forwards. He is now closer to Gil than Nana and I.

"Blood Unit, withdraw immediately. There's no time." We all hear Julius' voice through our earpiece.

"Captain, it may be too late. Red rain has already begun to fall here." We hear Ciel's voice as well and Nana steps closer to Gilbert and Romeo.

"All Blood members, your new orders are to put on hazmat suits and move to rescue Ciel!" Julius shouts through his earpiece. What the hell is a hazmat suit? I look around frantically before my eyes lie upon the God Arc Soldier. Didn't Kujo say that they were unmanned? So a person can go inside of one? I walk closer to the God Arc Soldier and step behind it. There looked to be a hatch of some sort and I opened it with relative ease.

"The suits are likely to take damage in battle. Do your best to avoid engaging the enemy whenever you can! Whatever you do, Ciel. Stay out of the rain!" Julius commands through his earpiece but we suddenly hear another voice. It was rough but quiet, it was obvious that Julius had forgot to switch his earpiece off with shock when Director Grem suddenly began talking.

"Silence! You don't have the authority for that." That is all I hear of Director Grem whilst I get inside of the God Arc Soldier. Getting a better look at it, it doesn't look too different from the machinery that my Uncle was working on back in HQ. I had experimented with his machinery a few times, much to his dismay, so I now the basics about machinery. Now all I need to do is find out how to take off in this contraption and I can rescue Ciel. I hope she isn't doing something stup-

"Captain, I apologise. I cannot obey you. Fall back without me." The sudden sound of her voice cut me out of my thoughts. What the hell does she think she's doing?

"You must leave me. To attempt rescue with inadequate equipment will only lead to losses."

"The hell?! Where's the damn take off button?!" I was letting my anger getting the best of me, so much so that my team mates now noticed that I was in the God Arc Solider.

"Cedrick? What are you doing?" They hurl questions to me and I answer them with a simple, "get back to Friar" as I press random buttons and eventually, I find one that lifts this stupid thing off of the ground. Now it's just a case of controlling it with these joystick-things.

"I'll not allow you to take such a risk for my sake." Ciel was the only thing I had in mind as I lifted the God Arc Soldier well into the air. I moved forward on both of the sticks and the God Arc Soldier turned so that it was parallel with the ground and started moving forward very quickly.

"Blood must hold to the Director's orders. Stay safe and out of the rain. Captain, don't worry, I am proud to have served at your side." I hear Ciel through my earpiece again. It sounds as though she has already given up. I will carry out my mission to the very last." Ciel's transmission ends and I have a feeling she won't talk again. She's already said her goodbyes.

A few minutes later, I feel the rain beginning to hit the God Arc Soldier. Thankfully it appears to have no affect on the metal container and I continue my search for Ciel. That's when something enters my line of sight. It wasn't Ciel. It was some sort of Aragami. It looks similar to the one that I told Gilbert to fight, so is it a Chi-You? Either way, following it may prove useful. It may have seen Ciel and headed towards her. I would need to keep out of sight as well otherwise it will change course to me. So I stayed several tens of metres behind the beast as it continued to glide.

It's only a few seconds later that the Aragami comes to a sharp stop as it plumments to the ground. There, I see Ciel and the God Arc Soldier. Ciel has her Arc raised, ready to fight the beast at any moment but that means that she'll have to move away from the cover of the God Arc Soldier. I can't let that happen. I start moving the controls so that I too plummet to the ground. However, it didn't go quite as planned as my Soldier does a backflip in the air, coming so close to the ground that I began sweating buckets, and then it flew towards the Chi-You that had just tried to do a gliding attack towards Ciel. I defend her by ramming into, although not by choice, the Chi-You where I come to a stop and the Chi-You falls into the icy depths.

"All Blood Special Forces, I order you to fall back immediately." I hear Julius' voice through my earpiece but I couldn't care for that now. Right now, I had to keep Ciel out of the rain so I move my God Arc Soldier over to her and put my arms onto the Soldier she was protecting.

"Leave the rest to them, understood?" Julius' words made me think that somebody had told him that I was piloting the Soldier we were supposed to protect. I'm going to get into so much trouble over this but at least Ciel will still be alive.

"Just... Come back alive." I'm not sure who Julius was talking to exactly when he said this. I move my Soldier so that I cover up any entrances where the red rain may get in. Ciel has taken the liberty of sitting down so that I have more space to protect her. After I had made sure that the red rain would be of no danger to Ciel, I looked towards her and found her staring directly into the machine's eyes. We spoke no words but we understood what this meant.

Well, when the red rain had stopped, Ciel and I proceeded to walk back to Friar. We still didn't utter a word but it would have been difficult seeing as how I was still in the God Arc Solider and was accompanying the other Soldier as well as Ciel. Little did I know that I would be having a 'welcoming' party. I was thrown straight into solitary confinement and received more than a few harsh words from the Director but I could care little because Ciel was safe. Speaking of which, it's about time for visitors and the first one I see is... You guessed it. Ciel.

"Cedrick, I struggle to understand. You put yourself in such danger for me." Oh, so she could speak. I was beginning to suspect that she had gone mute. I lean against the door as she speaks, she mirrors my pose by leaning on the other side of the door.

"You knew you would be punished, but you still did something so reckless." She spoke with awe in her voice. I could tell that she was definitely grateful.

"Piloting a God Arc Soldier is dangerous to the untrained, you'd need a screening first and even then... You could have died. You could have died! You ignored orders and charged right in, and anything could have gone wrong and... And..." It was clear to see that she was upset. I decided to give her a stern, yet knowing look. She should know by now that I'm not one to stick to something I don't like. Especially after hearing her give up on life. I will always remember that she almost died and I will always remember her, supposedly, last words. I move from my leaning position and place my hands near the bars. I know she is also thinking about how she almost dies but is she thinking about what she said as her last words? When she looks down to her feet, a short second later, I know that she is.

"You risked a court martial, risked your career, risked your life... Just to come for me and keep me safe. All for me." I feel my cheeks beginning to heat up from her words. It was definitely embarrassing to hear her speak so fondly of me like this. I didn't let my face waver though and soon, Ciel extended a finger out to my hand.

"No one has ever risked anything for me..." As our fingers touch, Ciel flinches slightly. "No one until you." We look into each other's eyes before we both become too embarrassed by the situation.

"I'll- I'll do what I can to help you out of here." She says shyly before fast walking away with a hand to her chest. I notice it to be the same one that touched mine. I kind of miss her touch though. It was kind of relaxing, knowing that she was safe with me...

"How long am I going to be stuck in here?"


	12. Chapter 12

Chapter 12

DISCLAIMER: I DO NOT OWN THE GOD EATER FRANCHISE HOWEVER I DO OWN MY OC.

Name: Cedrick Esparza

Gender: Male

Hairstyle: Style 7 (Dark Brown)

God Arc: Fiery Knife

Three days of being stuck in a heck hole later, I have finally been released. There was so little space in that cell that I felt like a chicken in a battery cage. If that's the type of cell that people like me are thrown into, I would hate to see what prisoners are thrown into. Regardless, being inside of that place of confinement gave me the chance to rest. For three days I had no missions. The bad part is that neither did anyone else. The red nimbus had remained over the land for two and a half days. I was released not long after that and was told that no further action would take place. I am thankful for that as I would hate to go back to Fenrir HQ for a court martial. I'd hate to think what my Uncle would say, however, I'm sure he'd agree that it was right for me to do what I did.

Moving on, upon my release, I headed straight for the lobby. It is here that I found my team members. They weren't all together which gave me the opportunity to see each one individually. Julius told me about how he was glad to have me back on the team. Ciel spoke about what happened three days ago and I dismissed it with an "it's all in the past" comment. Romeo informed me of the lengths that Julius and Ciel went for me to be released from solitary confinement. Nana was happy to see me back. Gilbert though, I don't know what he thought about what happened. He just said that he wanted to speak with me but it could wait until after my mission. I would wonder what it would be about but I'm probably accurate in assuming that it is about getting into the God Arc Soldier to save Ciel. Well, I guess I will find out later. As of right now, I have just finished a quick check-up with Doctor Rachel. Bless her for caring about me enough to perform a medical examination on me. It's pretty sweet of her. Of course, even if I had the option to refuse the medical I wouldn't since it would give me time to absorb her angelic voice through my ears. What's better is that I was the only one to hear it. That's enough about Doctor Rachel though. If I keep thinking about her I'll never be able to focus on my mission. I think that Julius, Ciel and I are up against a Vajra. Isn't that the same type of Aragami I seen during my travel to Friar on my first day? Well, I'll get the chance to find out soon enough.

As we approach the last known destination of the mission target, on foot, we hear a battle taking place. We stop at the Point L and take a peek around the corner to see an Aragami of tiger-like appearance battling against a Cocoon Maiden. As I observed the fight, which the larger Aragami was winning, there was no doubt in my mind that we had found the Vajra. It looks exactly like its NORN database entry said it would but what puzzled me was why the Vajra was fighting against the Cocoon Maiden.

"It must be a fight over territory." Ciel whispers to the group from beside me.

"We should let them fight it out. If they both get injured, they'll be easier to fight." I suggested. It would be a lot easier to defeat the larger Aragami if it was injured from its fight with the Cocoon Maiden. Even if it was tired it would be easy to defeat.

"That's a good idea, Vice Captain, but what if their fight causes more Aragami to show up?" Ciel asks me. I hate to admit that it was a possibility.

"If we go out there and attack them, we will still make the same amount of noise that the two of those fighting alone would make, perhaps even more. I agree with the Cedrick. We should let the two fight and then finish off the winner." Julius agreed with me and gave a valid reason behind it.

It was another five minutes before a winner of the Vajra vs Cocoon Maiden fight was declared. It was obvious to tell who would have won from the start but the Cocoon Maiden did give the Vajra a run for its money. It was always fighting a losing battle though and didn't manage to damage the cautious Vajra. Either way though, they'll both die in the end... I charge towards the quadruped as silently as I could with the others in tow. I'm not quite sure about what the weak spots of Vajra are so I'll just hit where the Cocoon Maiden managed to land a few strikes, the front legs. I hit it on the tail so that it will spin around and immediately start slashing when it does. I'm not sure what element Vajra are weak to either so Blaze will have to suffice. I get to five slashes before I feel the familiar power burst and keep assaulting it. However, I only get three more hits in before waves of electricity flow through the air. I don't know what it is planning but I'm not sticking around to find out. I immediately stop my attack and sprint a good ten metres away from the beast before changing my God Arc to its Gun Form. Before I fire a shot, a whole hemisphere of electricity is released from the Vajra with it acting as the centre. Its attack must have had a radius of at least five metres so I was glad to have escaped. Nevertheless, even with the hemisphere of electricity still prevalent, I fire bullet after bullet of the Blaze attribute at the Aragami. It rears back onto its hind legs after my third bullet manages to break the bond on its right leg. A few more shots to the left leg yields the same result but now I'm out of Oracle Points. I switch back to my Arc's Melee Form and charge towards the beast when something unexpected happens. The beast charges at me too. There is no way that I will be able to severely damage something twice, possibly thrice, the size of me so I have to abort my run by jumping to the side as it appears about 5 metres in front of me. I manage to soften my land but I won't deny that it did hurt to jump on solid ground like that to avoid an attack. I look towards the Vajra to see that it has already spun around and is charging some sort of electrical attack as five electrical spheres form in front of it. It's obvious to see that the Aragami will release these spheres once they've gained enough power but it also looks to be a slow attack, giving my ample time to run to one of its front legs and start piercing it. My first few hits connect but don't do a thing but when I start slashing, all hell breaks loose as the Vajra moves onto its hind legs again, dispelling its previous attack. It is at this moment that I realise that I am not alone in this fight as a whole barrage of bullets come from my two team members. Taking the, not so subtle, hint, I move beside my team mates and open fire on the beast as well. After this barrage of bullets, the beast collapses onto the ground. It roars once more as it attempts to get back up but the removal of its core makes sure that it can't.

"Good work team." Julius commends us.

"Thank you, Captain." Ciel speaks with manners and I give a nod of the head to show I acknowledged him.

"Now, you all deserve a rest. Let's head back home." With his words, we set off towards the pick-up point and, once the helicopter arrives, head towards Friar.

Arriving back at Friar I was met with a surprise. Gilbert was waiting for me in the entrance to the lobby. Nobody else seemed to be around. It seems like Gilbert must have wanted to speak with me in private... Oh, yeah, he did say that he wanted to speak with me after my mission, didn't he? So has he already been on a mission? Or a better question is, how did he get everyone else, including Friar staff and Fran, to leave the lobby in order to speak with me? After looking around to reaffirm that nobody else was present, I looked towards Gilbert who seemed to be waiting patiently for me to ask what was going-

"How could you be so reckless?" Oh, yep, this conversation is definitely about what happened three days go. "Charging out into the red rain like that was lunacy." Gilbert had a scolding tone. "You can't do that. If something happened, those you left behind... they couldn't understand." Looking at Gilbert's face, I could see him so desperately trying to hide a few emotions but I couldn't identify which ones. Panic, maybe? Pain?

"I like that you're gung-ho. It's the reason I'm here. But don't think you can do everything alone." He is silent for a few seconds, probably waiting for me to respond but that's probably not going to happen any time soon. I was shocked that Gilbert scolded me so much so that after his next sentence, I turned my head away in shame as he walked away,

"Look, I... Sorry for the lecture. See ya." I felt guilty. During my whole time in solitary confinement I never once thought about how my team on that day, including Gilbert, Romeo and Nana, would feel. I was always thinking about how bad it was to be in that cell and when my thoughts drifted to something else, it was never about their feelings. What Gilbert just told me, he was right. I could have died out there and been unable to protect Ciel. So instead of losing just one member of the team, they'd be losing two. One thing concerned me even more though. During the scolding, I was never sure of Gilbert's feelings. I know he was mad enough to scold me but what else? As he apologised for the lecture, it sounded as though he had, unknowingly, released a whimper or was it a small chuckle. Either way, this will give me something to look back on tonight. Or maybe I'll go to the garden to think instead.

On my way up to the garden I had ran into Doctor Rachel. She told me that Ciel's Blood Power had awoken after what happened three days ago and named it "intuit". Apparently, Ciel is able to deduce what Aragami are in the area when we go out on a mission. I'm not sure how that works though. She also told me about my ability to "Evoke" the powers held within people that I am close to which is why Ciel gained hers. It is always nice to know that I am helping out the people I am closest to but why haven't Romeo, Nana or Gilbert had their powers awoken yet? I've known them for longer than I have known Ciel. What does Ciel have that the rest don't? Well, this will give me more to think about in the garden.

Unfortunately for me, I wouldn't have the time to think in the garden as I was called over by Ciel. I sat down beside her as she began talking.

"Our next step is to focus on perfecting our attack patterns and increasing our ranged efficiency. Speaking of, Vice Captain," She turns towards me with intrigue evident in her features, "have you been making use of the Bullet Editor?"

"Well, I have tried to make my own bullets a few times but it is rather complicated." I say with a sheepish expression as a hand scratches my head. She appears unsurprised at me answer, in fact, she smiles ever so slightly.

"Ah, well I certainly understand that. The intensity of the subject tends to put off many God Eaters. I know some say it is 'above their pay grade', which I'm almost certain is a joke. At the same time, it is too exciting to ignore! We can change bullet trajectory, elemental effects..." The excitement in her voice continues to grow. "It gives us so much greater options when attacking from range! Imagine all the possibilities!" Her excitement is infectious as I begin to feel as though butterflies are flying in my stomach. "Increasing effective range, enhancing destructive power, altering effects to make better healing bullets! Ahhh!" Ciel emits a sound I didn't think she ever would. A girlish squeal passes through her lips without her control. It was possibly the cutest thing I have ever seen and I smile because of it.

"S-sorry. I got a little excited." Ciel attempts to explain her screech but she shouldn't have to. Nobody will judge her for it.

"It's great. Continue!" I tell her with a wide smile. Her excitement seems to bring me happiness. It is a much more welcome view than the stoic Ciel.

"Really? S-Sure, if you insist!" Her flustered expression, whilst also cute, pales in comparison to her shrill.

"Um... One more thing, if I may. Only if you have time, of course." She looks away in what looks like nervousness. That's when it hits me. I can identify Ciel's emotions but not Gilbert's. Is it because I am closer to Ciel than him?

"But, um... I'm still growing used to this. I'd like you to accompany me during my next experiment. I made a bullet you might like." She said shyly.

"It would be a pleasure." I was genuinely interested in what made her so excited. Maybe if I experimented with this Bullet Editor then I will be able to create efficient new bullets.

"Wonderful! Thank you so much. This will be great! I'd like to perform the test as soon as possible for optimum effect. Are you ready to go now?"

"Any time!" I answer quickly, showing my enthusiasm behind this little experiment.

"Brilliant! Let's head out then!" Ciel flashed me the brightest smile I had ever seen on her face. It looked almost alien like to see her smile like that but I cannot deny that it made me happy to see her happy.

After that conversation, Ciel and I left to the Wailing Plains. Apparently, there were reports of a herd of small Aragami with a Yaksha nearby. The small Aragami included Dreadpikes and Zygotes, the latter of which would probably serve to be the better targets so it was decided that I will take out the ground-riddled Aragami whilst Ciel killed the airborne Aragami. It didn't take too long to find our first opponents. Conveniently, there was two Dreadpikes and two Zygotes. Inconveniently though, the Zygotes paid more attention to me rather than Ciel as I began slashing at the small, green Aragami below them. This lead to me having to narrowly avoid purple, assumed to be poisonous, purple spheres. Dodging the two Zygotes was difficult enough but their friends had come to join the feast so now I was right in the middle of the small herd consisting of 6 Dreadpikes and an equal amount of Zygotes. Luckily, the ones I were talking from earlier were heavily damaged, leaving me with a remained of four Dreadpikes and, with their one attack, they were proving to be less bothersome than the Zygotes overhead. I had to abort plans to attack only the Dreadpikes and started attacking the airborne Aragami. It was exceedingly more difficult to attack these Aragami and having to be wary of the small, green, tusked beasts below me.

"Watch out for their charge attacks!" Ciel shouted towards me from her position outside of the herd. "Like the ones to your left!" She shouted again and I was forced to look towards my left and could see two of the Dreadpikes only about 3 metres away from me. How did I not see them? They were clearly in my line of vision, albeit along the sides of my vision. I managed to avoid them with relative ease before jumping up to continue my onslaught against the Zygotes.

In the end, it took five more minutes to wipe out the small herd, with no problems from a supposedly nearby Yaksha. I escaped with a few scrapes whilst Ciel didn't have to avoid any attacks. So whilst I am exhausted, Ciel is fine. I have fought against a Vajra and a small herd of 12 Aragami today and I am exhausted and yet, Ciel is the one on the ground. Although, she appears to be checking something on her God Arc as she stares at it intensely.

"Is something wrong?" I ask after a few minutes of seeing no movement from her. She appears shocked to hear me. She turns towards me as she speaks,

"I-It's nothing. It's probably just all in my head... The God Arc... It's not that I feel ill, it's... I can't quite describe it." She faces back towards her God Arc and fumbles with it.

"Some of the bullets were behaving rather unusually. But... in a good way, I suppose. My weapon was performing differently as well. I'll need to adjust the recoil compensator." She speaks. I wonder if she knows that I don't know what a recoil compensator is. It has something to do with recoil. Maybe reducing it?

"You really know your stuff." I say with a small smile on my face.

"I-I wasn't trying to show off. I've been using firearms for so long that it's second nature." She turns back towards me and it looks like she was in a panic. I'm not sure what about but she should remain calm.

"It's all right. Relax." I say reassuringly.

"A-All right... Y'know, I shouldn't trouble the Maintenance team with this. I can look into the problem myself." She speaks up. "Thank you for coming out to help today. I really appreciate it."

"Well, we can't do anything here. Let's get back to Friar before you start tinkering with it." I speak to her of the concerns of doing something like maintenance on a field that we have just recently killed Aragami on. After all, there were reports of a Yaksha around these parts as well and we haven't ran into it, yet...


	13. Chapter 13

Chapter 13

DISCLAIMER: I DO NOT OWN THE GOD EATER FRANCHISE HOWEVER I DO OWN MY OC.

Name: Cedrick Esparza

Gender: Male

Hairstyle: Style 7 (Dark Brown)

God Arc: Fiery Knife

By the time Ciel and I got back to Friar, the light from the sun had long since disappeared meaning that it was after my bed time. I had headed straight to my room after finding out what Ciel would be doing; whether she's work on her God Arc or go to sleep. She had intended to do the former but I didn't think that would be very helpful to her in the long run. After all, we may have a difficult mission tomorrow so it would be beneficial to rest now and work later. I managed to convince Ciel to head to her room to sleep and work on her God Arc in the morning. So now, it was time for me to sleep.

I found myself in a mysterious place. No longer was I in my room, nor was I even on Friar, at least that's what I think. I couldn't quite identify the things in this room. My vision was very blurry, almost as if I had just awoken and my eyes were adjusting to the light but in actuality, I have been awake for at least 10 minutes. Can I call this being awake? I know I am still sleeping so I am probably more aware instead of being awake. I look down to my feet. It appears that no matter the distance between my eyes and something else, everything will still be blurry. There must be something wrong with my eyes. That must be the only explanation. I could see nothing but blur. It was so severe that even the shapes of things could not be identified only colours but it was steadily growing worse until I could see nothing. Nothing but pitch black. I could no longer see my surroundings and I could feel my heart beating rapidly in fear. Sweat trickled down my face as well as my hands and I felt weak in the knees. I collapsed to the floor. I was no longer able to see. How am I supposed to help my friends now? I won't be able to; not on the field, not even with medical problems. Right now, I am of no use...

"Argh!" I awoke with a scream and my blanket was thrown to the side. With my eyes still adjusting to the light, and therefore blurry, I could feel the panic that I felt from my dream return to me. The thing is though, that this was not permanent. My eyes did fully adjust to the light in the room only a few seconds later. Turning my head, I got another surprise. It would seem that I was not alone in my room. A woman sat near my bed. The black clothes and wheelchair made it easy to realise who it was. If Doctor Rachel was shocked at my outburst, which I now found more embarrassing than I should have done, then she didn't show it. Instead, she continued to smile at me. How long had she been here? How did she get into my room? More importantly though, how long has she been watching me with a smile on her face?

"My poor Cedrick. Did you have a nightmare?" Her voice relaxes me and I collapse back onto my bed. I don't answer her though. I know she asked to be polite but it is pretty obvious that it was, in fact, a nightmare. I raise a hand to rub my forehead, unable to believe what that dream was. Was it some sort of vision? Or was it just a nightmare, like Doctor Rachel said? After I remove my hand from my head, I feel Doctor Rachel's small, and cold hand on my head. I don't know what was more surprising, the temperature of her hand, or lack thereof, or the gesture. I look towards her to see that she had moved closer towards my bed and was now looking me in the eyes.

"It's impolite to ignore someone's question." She states with her same smile before rubbing my head. "So will you please answer me." Her voice coupled with her gesture and her eyes almost sent me into a trance. They each gave off a hypnotic effect.

"Yes." I gave a simple answer but I wasn't finished, "but I don't need to talk about it." I decided to quickly add that part on, knowing that, since Doctor Rachel cares, she would want to know about it. She would probably use a proverb about the sharing of a nightmare can share the pain or something along those lines.

"That's quite all right, my sweet Cedrick." She continues to rub my head. I almost fall asleep at her touch but her words keep me awake. It would be a different story if her words held no meaning but they do; Doctor Rachel will expect me to talk to her. Why would she be in my room if-

"Doctor Rachel?" My voice rises in intonation as I prepare to ask a question.

"Hmm?" She hums in response. Her smile almost clears my head of any thoughts but I manage to retain this one.

"Why are you here?" I ask her the one thought on my mind. Doctor Rachel continues rubbing my head as she answers.

"I wanted to speak with you." She speaks with her enchanting smile still present on her face before leaning closer to me. She was now only 40 centimetres from my face with her smile still present. That angelic smile, from up close, was more unnerving. I could feel myself shrinking back into my bed there was only so far I could go.

"I've never had a chance to talk to you about what happened before the Red Rain, have I?" I am sure that she isn't even blinking. Her beautiful eyes are now staring into the depths of my own and it was becoming too scary for my tastes.

"Uh, no." I tried not to show how scared I was at this moment but my voice betrayed me.

"Erm..."

"I'm sure you know, Cedrick," She raised her hands to cup my face and brought my head closer to hers. She touched her forehead to mine and stared into my eyes as I did hers. She was really beginning to terrify me. "I am proud to have you as a member of Blood." I did not expect her to say anything positive in this situation and I allowed myself to relax. "Thank you for protecting your family. But..." The tone of her voice dropped from being sweet to being slightly sinister. I felt myself pushing against her hands so that I could move away from her face. I noticed how her eyes took on more a metal appearance.

"You shouldn't climb into God Arc Soldiers. They can leave profound mental effects on the pilot." She kept her grip on me and continued staring into my eyes. She just wouldn't let me go!

"But from what I have seen, you haven't been mentally affected." Her hands leave my face and my head falls to the bed. No longer was I trapped in her grip; it felt like I had just been released from solitary confinement again.

"Now, Cedrick," Doctor Rachel spoke, looking back to her I noticed that she had opened the door and was on her way out. "You should get dressed. We have a visitor from the Far East Branch. Speaking of which, we are almost there." With that, she left me to myself where I couldn't help but ponder upon what just happened.

Ten minutes later, I walk into the lobby to see my Unit surrounding somebody which I deem to be the visitor from the Far East. As I walk closer to them, I see a familiar white jacket. I'm not sure where it was familiar from.

"Hey guys." I say as I stop in front of them.

"Ah, Vice Captain." Julius speaks up and the rest of them turn to me. I see a familiar head of silver hair also turn my way. The rest of Blood greets me.

"You remember Alisa, right Cedrick?" Nana questions me with a tilt of her head.

"She definitely looks familiar but I can't remember from where." I put a hand to my chin in a thinking position. I notice that the small smile on the woman, whose identity escapes me, disappears at that.

"There's been so much going on lately and I have only recently woke up." I give reasons as to why I may not remember her so that the woman doesn't become depressed that I don't remember her.

"That makes sense." Alisa spoke in a slightly sad tone. I didn't expect her to speak up and it gave me quite a surprise. "I've heard about what happened during the Red Rain." She informs me. It looks like my excuse was a valid one but that doesn't stop me from feeling guilty about forgetting her.

"In either case," Julius' words bring our attention to him, "Miss Amiella, here, has requested our help to defeat a psion."

"Yeah, that's right. A Yan Zhi and I need your help." She pleads to me. "I've read your NORN database entry. It tells of your Blood Power and I think that, if you are on the team, regular God Eaters like me will be able to fight against these psions as well." This comes as a shock to me. If regular God Eaters work with me on their team then they will be able to fight against psions, I'll have to ask Doctor Rachel about that.

"There is one problem though, it appears that there is a large herd of Ogretails in the City of Mercy but the Yan Zhi has appeared in the Sunken Grid." Julius begins and Ciel takes over,

"Therefore we will need to split into two teams. Since Alisa requested our help to defeat the psion, she will need to be on the team that fights it but since regular God Eaters can't fight psions, you will need to be on her team because your Blood Power allows for regular God Eaters to fight psions. Julius will be on the team to fight against the herd of small Aragami and so will I. Do you wish to take anybody else with you on your mission?" She seemed to be getting more depressed by the end of her explanation. She must have wanted to go with Alisa and I.

"Uh, yeah sure." I answer her before turning to the remaining members that hadn't been picked. "Romeo, Nana, want to come along?" I ask them. It would be a bad idea to have both Romeo and Gilbert on the same team since they still argue quite a bit.

"Yeah." Nana sounded enthusiastic.

"All right." Romeo, whilst determined, sounded less enthusiastic. I wonder if something was troubling him. I'll need to ask him about it sometime soon.

"Shall we go?" Alisa speaks and after a nod of our heads we set off to the Sunken Grid.

One hour later, the Yan Zhi had been defeated and we were back on Friar. It appears that my presence in the team did allow for Alisa to fight the psion but her attacks weren't very effective. However, there's no reason to stop fighting the psions, after all, practice makes perfect. Anyway, Doctor Rachel was happy to hear about this and said that I should try to build a bond will other God Eaters to see if their strength increases. She also gave us news about how close we are to the Far East. In fact, we're only half a day away. SO by the time we wake up tomorrow, we will have docked at the Far East. With this in mind, I headed to my room to rest. I did come back out of my room to socialist with my team mates but that only lasted about five hours. Alas, it was enough time to make the sun set, thus declaring the end of a day. Within a few hours, we will be in Far East territory and soon, we'll be at the Far East Branch...


	14. Chapter 14

Chapter 14

DISCLAIMER: I DO NOT OWN THE GOD EATER FRANCHISE HOWEVER I DO OWN MY OC.

Name: Cedrick Esparza

Gender: Male

Hairstyle: Style 7 (Dark Brown)

God Arc: Fiery Knife

"I am Julius Visconti, Captain of the Blood Special Forces, this is my team." Julius spoke to the Director of the Far East Branch. I could hardly stay awake. We were awakened at 3:00 in the morning as we had arrived at the Far East Branch. Therefore we had to introduce ourselves to the Director. Strangely enough, everybody else seemed to be wide awake. I was the only one with drooping eyelids but I tried not to make his obvious.

"Welcome to the Far East Branch." The Director spoke in, what I noticed to be, a rough voice as if something was stuck in his throat or he had a bad cough. "I am the Director here, Paylor Sakaki. When I heard that Emil rescued you from certain doom, I just had to meet you face-to-face." This attracted my attention. I don't remember Emil saving any of us. In fact, we saved him. Something which Romeo pointed out,

"Wait, you mean the Marduk?" So that's what it had been called, huh? "Our Vice Captain was the one who fought it off!" Romeo slapped me on the back as if identifying me to the Director.

"Ah, so it was you after all? I thought as much. You have my thanks!" The man spoke to me. It was nice to be praised for my hard work. The Director finished his talk to just me and addressed the whole team,

"You're obviously a talented group and I don't want to waste even a moment of that talent. Let's get you on a mission. Well, when day breaks." I breathed a sigh of relief that we would get to finish sleeping before going on a mission. "The Far East Branch is currently facing several major threats. The most obvious, of course, is the black plague caused by exposure to the red rains." Sakaki began explaining about the issues currently facing the Far East Branch. "Another pressing issue is..."

"The psion." Julius interrupted the Director. He would never have done that with Director Grem but here he seems to be taking a real interest in this subject. I, on the other hand, was about ready to fall back to sleep.

"Precisely. A species of Aragami unlike any we've faced before. Rumour is you've already fought one. The psion use powerful Resonance Waves, "Bias Fields", to control nearby herds of Aragami. I'm told that psions also interfere with our God Arcs, as they too are infused with Oracle Cells." This lecture from the Director was beginning to go way over my head. I had no idea that God Arcs are made of Oracle Cells. I guess this explains why they need Oracle Power in order to shoot bullets.

"Still, against all odds, your unit disrupted its psionic wave and sent it running." So we were still talking about the Marduk?

"Truly a thing of wonder. I cannot tell you how reassuring it is to hear the beast can be beaten. So, I beseech your help mitigating these issues: the red rain ppandemic and the psion. What say you?" The Director asks us.

"We're glad to help and will do our utmost to see these problems put to rest." Julius' response delights Paylor Sakaki.

"Excellent! We'll support you in any way we can. Please, make yourself at home here in the Branch. That is all for now. Thank you. Dismissed." At Sakaki's words, I turned around, ready to leave his office until I was stopped by somebody walking into the room. The man is clearly a fan of bright colours as the only two he is wearing are orange and yellow. I could also identify a Cradle jacket as well as a yellow bandana.

"Director! *yawn* I asked everyone about their schedule so we could get a proper welcoming part going and..." The man spoke, turning around as he did so. He was clearly tired but whilst he did show it, he still worked. When he looks up from his clipboard, he sees more than just the Director in the room. "Huh? Is this the Blood Unit?"

"Thank you, Kota. And yes, this is Blood." Sakaki speaks and identifies the man to be Kota.

"Great to meet ya." He speaks as he bows, "I am Kota Fujiki, Captain of the Far East Branch's 1st Unit." That confuses me since I can clearly see him wearing a Cradle jacket just like Alisa before him and yet he isn't part of Cradle?

"Julius Visconti, Captain of Blood. The pleasure is mine, Captain Fujiki." Julius greets him in his Captain-like manner. The differences between Julius and Kota were overwhelming. I don't want to dwell on it though, otherwise I'll never get back to sleep when we can finally leave the room!

"Awesome! I'm still organising the Welcome Bash, so feel free to take a look around 'til we're good to go!" He says enthusiastically and Nana can't help but let her excitement escape.

"A party? For us? YES! What kinda food are you gonna have? Huh? Huh? Will it be delicious?" There she goes, thinking with her stomach again as she sways back and forth on the spot. I doubt that she will be going back to sleep. Well, as long as she doesn't ask me to stay up with her it should be fine. "I bet it will!"

"You can't just blurt that out, Nana! It's rude." Romeo reprimanded the girl but she probably didn't even hear it.

"You'll have to wait and see." He says before turning away. "Trust me, the food's amazing here at the Far East." He leaves the room at that.

"Oh yes! Hehehe! This is gonna rock!" Nana shouts with a smile from ear to ear.

"Oh, yeah!" Romeo shouts despite reprimanding Nana just moments earlier. It's not too long after that that I leave the room and go back to my new quarters shown to me by one of the staff here. I will attempt to get some sleep, but in a new bed, I doubt I will get much.

Hours later, I am woken up by a ton of noise outside of my room in the Far East Branch. I put on my clothes and head out to see what the noise is about.

"Friar's way too hoity-toity. This is more normal." I hear Gilbert say, in response to Romeo, as I leave my room and notice four individuals, apart from myself, in the corridor.

"Are you guys serious, right now? "Normal?" Not a chance." A woman dressed in a purple suit speaks as she faces Gilbert.

"If this is normal, what about all the people outside of these walls, huh? All the people we ignore, just barely scratching out a life?" The woman sounded ready to teach Gilbert a lesson. I couldn't blame him for his response.

"Uh, who're you?"

"Satsuki Takamine, freelance journalist, at your service." The bespectacled woman introduces herself in a stereotypical journalist-like manner. Satsuki takes a look at the three of us.

"Hmmm... You all look like you've come straight from HQ, don't you?" The woman questions and I have no idea how she reached that conclusion. Looking at us, I would have said that we were off-duty. Well, Romeo and Gilbert would be since they are in casual clothes compared to my freshly made BW Short Blade suit that I had found on the database a while ago but never had the materials to make it.

"Yeah... Sorry to break it to you, sister, but historically, I don't do well with journalists." He turns away from the woman to face Romeo.

"This one's all yours." Is all Gilbert says before he leaves us in an odd silence. The woman turns towards Romeo with an expectant look.

"My apologies for his behaviour?" His rise in intonation proves that he didn't really know what to say and, instead, opted to apologise on behalf of Gilbert. He completes his speech with a bow.

"Wow. You're really polite." Somehow, Romeo had managed to fool Satsuki into thinking he was polite when, in fact, he could only just be considered polite. I can't help but hold back a chuckle. Luckily, no body notices as a new person joins us. A familiar looking person who has just come out of the room next to mine. The person is also wearing the same clothes as when we first met. I can't quite remember her name though. All I remember is bumping into her on Friar and Romeo talking about how popular she is.

"Wh-Wh-What?" On cue, Romeo stammers out his surprise to see the famous idol.

"Ah, hi. I thought you went on ahead, Satsuki." The woman speaks as she approaches us. I can't help but to focus on her voice. Her voice rivalled the angelic voice of Doctor Rachel. I could feel myself relaxing as she approached and I can't help but think that if this is her speaking voice, I'd love to hear her sing. I should ask Romeo to lend me that CD after all.

"Oh, pardon me." She speaks to me directly as she turns to me. "Didn't I see you all when I visited Friar?" The woman asks. Looking into her eyes, I didn't realise that they could hold such purity and divinity. I am almost lost in her eyes, luckily Romeo snaps my out of my trance as he moves by me, roughly, and begins stammering to his idol.

"Ohmygoshohmygosh. Hi! I can't believe it's you, really, truly, actually you! I'm Romeo. You are Yuno Ashihara! I'm not worthy!" Romeo reminded me of her name and I doubt I would forget it any time soon, especially if I hear her voice more often. Romeo grabs her hands as he introduces himself. Something which Satsuki doesn't like.

"Whoa, hey, slow it down." She says as she separates Romeo and Yuno. "If you want to shake her hand, you've gotta go through her manager- me." She finishes her scolding before turning back to Yuno.

"Do you... Know these people?"

"Not really. I saw them briefly on Friar. I just noticed they were about my age." Yuno then faces me, having already been introduced to Romeo, by Romeo. "It's a pleasure to meet you. I am Yuno Ashihara." She bows politely as she speaks. She's such a polite girl.

"*giggle* I know!" He raises his hand as he uses the personal pronoun, "Your songs are so awesome! You're so cool!I can't believe it's you! I'm not worthy!" His hands flail as he speaks.

"All right, tiger, that's quite enough of that." I almost laugh in Satsuki's attempt to calm him down. Little did she know that nothing will stop Romeo from meeting his idol, and talking her ear off. To my surprise, as well as Satsuki's, Yuno actually giggles at Romeo's recent words.

"It's been a long time since I've had people my own age to talk with." She speaks with her manager. This must be the type of idol that actually speaks with their fans.

"I guess lately it has been one stuffy bureaucrat after another begging for autographs. And you can't really talk with Winter," She turns towards Romeo and I as she speaks, "my other client. Well, hey, I shouldn't keep Captain Kota waiting forever. So how about I come back and get you later, Yuno?" Satsuki walks by Yuno, with a goodbye, and Romeo before stopping at me as the former two begin a conversation.  
"Look, you seen the same one of the group, it would be great if you could, y'know hang out with her. She really needs some friends." She turns to me as she speaks before returning her attention in front of her but she continues, "And keep an eye on that Romeo boy for me. I don't usually let the crazy ones get this close." She looks back at the person in speech before leaving with a nod of her head. I, too, decide to leave. After all, it's not as though the two of them are going to get into trouble.


	15. Chapter 15

Chapter 15

DISCLAIMER: I DO NOT OWN THE GOD EATER FRANCHISE HOWEVER I DO OWN MY OC.

Name: Cedrick Esparza

Gender: Male

Hairstyle: Style 7 (Dark Brown)

God Arc: Fiery Knife

The next day, and after an enchanting welcoming song by Yuno Ashihara, I was informed by Hibari, the receptionist, that Ciel had wanted to speak with me and that there wasn't any missions available for me yet.

"Well, I'll go see what Ciel wants me for. See you, Hibari." We give our farewells and I set off to find Ciel. It is only about 5 minutes later that I find her in the same place where the welcoming party was held yesterday. More specifically, I find her sitting on one of the stools at the back of the room. Upon approaching her, I notice that she seems to be in some sort of trance. I debate on what to do next. Should I give her a shock? Or should I just sit down next to her and wait to see how long it takes for her to notice me. Finding the latter idea better, I decide to do just that and take the seat next to her. She doesn't notice me, thankfully, and I begin my, possibly long wait...

I'm surprised I've managed to keep this game going for this long. In fact, I am beginning to suspect that something is wrong with Ciel. She just seems to be in a trance and hasn't even moved since I arrived.

"Hey, Ciel? You okay?" I shake her shoulder to snap her out of her trance. It works like a charm but she does seem surprised to see me.

"C-Cedrick? How long have you been here?" She asks me with a hand to her chest, possibly to ease her rapid breathing. I must have really shocked her. I feel slightly guilty now.

"I've been here for 30 minutes." I answer her question simply and expect her next question.

"Why didn't you say something earlier?" She tilts her head slightly in confusion but, on her, it only looks cute.

"I was wondering how long it would take for you to realise I was here but I think 30 minutes is enough to say I've won, right?" I say with a chuckle and ask for why she wanted me, not giving her time to retort.

"Oh, right.. Vice Captain! I believe I have made progress with my inquiry into the altered behaviour of my bullets! Dr. Sakaki introduced me to an engineer here named Licca. She's been looking into the cause for me... It turns out there's something... bigger going on. I haven't been able to fully process it yet..." As Ciel explains, I nod my head occasionally to say that I understand and smile as Ciel says she met Licca. Another friend, maybe?

"Sorry, I'm skipping ahead. I should explain it better from the start... Um... Do you remember when you helped me with my bullet test and I suddenly felt strange?" She asks me, curiously. That event only happened a few days ago, didn't it?

"Yeah, when we were fighting the small Aragami herd, right?" I ask to reaffirm my answer as I wasn't 100% sure.

"Yeah, that's right." She smiles in response to me remembering it. "Well, Licca's analysis showed that the bonds between the bullet's Oracle Cells have... Mutated. The bullet can no longer be edited or fired from another type of God Arc, but it has evolved. As a result it can do more than restore our strength. It will cure us of ailments as well." Ciel finishes her explanation and I have very little idea for what all of this meant.

"So, what does that mean?" I say with a feigned curious expression. I really didn't understand too much about these bullets.

"Licca theorised this change may be a result of a Resonance. The harmony of our Blood Powers." She continues her explanation with a stoic face but a voice that betrays it.

"I don't follow." I say simply with a sheepish expression.

"I find it rather difficult to comprehend myself. You see... Our powers resonated and acted upon the bullet, just as our willpower resonates as our Blood Arts. Hence this creation has evolved into a special bullet. A 'blood bullet' so to speak." I was hanging on every word. It was really intriguing to know that we could have a new type of bullet as well.

"Well, that's what Director Sakaki said, in any case. And following that... Um... He teased me... I think. He said perhaps it had something to do with my 'single-mindedness'." Upon hearing Ciel's explanation, I had to cover my mouth so that I didn't burst into laughter. It was funny to see how Ciel was dealing with this. Of course, she noticed but she never said anything. Hopefully she doesn't think anything ill of it.

"Ciel! This is incredible!" I say full of enthusiasm as soon as I find myself able to speak without laughing.

"You think so? I'm excited too." She says with a heart-warming smile that remains on her face for a while. I wonder if she was happy to see me being so enthusiastic about these new bullets.

"Licca and Dir. Sakaki were both ecstatic. In truth, I'm just happy I was able to help." She speaks with a tone that withholds her excitement before her tone takes one of shyness. "I was hoping to test the new bullet and... I was thinking... Well, maybe..." It was cute to see her stutter. I a happy that this is a side of herself that she only shows me, for what I know of anyway. "Maybe you could come?" She asks me in an adorably shy manner. Did she think I would refuse?

"Of course! Let's do this! You ready to go now?" I speak with my excitement pouring into every muscle in my body. I would have the chance to test out the new bullet with Ciel and be with her whilst doing so.

"Yes! Thank you." At Ciel's words, we head off for our next mission.

We arrive at the Sunken Grid, just the two of us, and start walking around the place. We had received word from Hibari informing us about five Zygote energy signatures in the area. They would be the perfect targets for these bullets.

"So, what's the plan?" I ask Ciel since she is the tactician of Blood.

"Well, we need to test these bullets" She lifts her Arc up slightly to prove a point, "so I think we should take cover and shoot from a distance. We both have sniper rifles after all."

"Oh, yeah. I forgot about that. So we find the Zygotes and find a place to snipe them from?" I repeat to make sure I understand the plan.

"Yeah, that's right." She says with a slight smile and a nod of her head. I change my God Arc to Gun Form in response and change my bullet to be set to the Freeze attribute, preparing for when we fight the Zygotes.

A short while later, we have found where all five of the Zygotes had congregated. Luckily, they were all grouped together. We hide behind a nearby set of pipes.

"I'll take the one on the furthest left." I say as I push my God Arc up to lean on the pipes.

"Wait Cedrick. We may be able to shoot more than one target."

"What?" It was difficult to understand what she meant. Hit more than one target? Is that a new feature in one of her bullets?

"With the proper trajectory we could hit more than one Zygote. See here?" She sets her Arc up in a similar fashion to mine but she aims down her sights and fires a bullet. A cylindrical glow appears just in front of her Arc before she fires. Was that also some new feature in her bullet? Since I was paying attention to that, I failed to notice how damaging the bullet was and how many of the Zygotes it hit. Looking back, I notice that three of the five are now looking around rapidly. Ciel must have hit these three. Then I see something strange as I turn back to Ciel, she actually gives me a smug smile. I can't deny that it is cute but it also warrants a competition.

"You wanna competition? You're on!" I return to my Arc and start firing bullet after bullet at the Zygotes.

Five minutes later, a victor has been decided. My bullets were no match for Ciel's new ones and she beat me by killing four whilst I only took out one. It was fun though and I even seen a new side of Ciel that I didn't know existed. A competitive side that she felt confident enough to show me.

"I never would have believe it. Our willpower has given rise to a completely new creation!" Ciel speaks with high levels of excitement. "With a little more work, we should be able to expand its tactical potential even further!" She speaks before changing the topic, "This is... incredible! Working with you, and all of Blood, and the team at the Branch is so wonderful." It was quite surprising to hear praise from Ciel so suddenly but I am glad she is enjoying Blood now.

"Let's keep going! Let's take this even further! It's not just for the sake of study or research or practice. It's for us... To keep our friends safe."

"I agree." I nod my head as well and am met with a pleased smile from Ciel and a nod of her head as well.

"We should get going now. We should be able to continue at the Branch." I suggest to Ciel and we call for a helicopter pick-up.

I had planned to spend the rest of the day helping Ciel but fate had other a different pathway for me to follow. Upon entering the Branch, Emil stopped me from walking any further, asking Ciel if I could help him to which she said yes almost instantly. Ciel continued walking, God Arc in hand, probably heading to improve it.

"Have you heard, my friend?" Emil suddenly asks me and I have to give myself a couple of seconds to think.

"Heard what?" Clearly something serious had happened, right?

"The wall in section A17 of the residential district remains damaged after an Aragami attack. Of course we, the Far East Branch's elite, will vanquish any vile Aragami that infiltrate. However, I have witnessed something. I have seen mothers with babes in arms look most distressed when they see the hole in the wall. How can we call ourselves God Eaters if we cannot make them feel safe?! What type of knights are we?" Emil's answer was rather lengthy and clearly he wasn't finished. I kind of guessed where this conversation was going. It would be a mission with the two of us fighting off Aragami that wander too close to the hole in the wall. There is one thing though...

"We're not knights."

"Indeed, we are no knights at all. That is why I have accepted a mission to rectify the situation. I have heard that there is an overwhelming shortage of Chi-You materials. This must be fate! Unfortunately... I do not have enough time to gather them all myself. Curse my lack of skill!"

"Right, let's go." I interrupted Emil before he could continue. However, he did continue as if he never heard me.

"I must find a way... Hmm?" His arms move frantically throughout his whole speech. "I have it! Will you come with me?!"

"I already said let's go. I've got my God Arc here, you get yours and we'll be good to go." I give my answer again as well as telling him

"Excellent. I am most grateful, my friend. I shall do as you say and get my things, then we shall traverse the land for Chi-You materials." Another frantical flail of his hands before he leaves for his God Arc whilst I wait here, at the gate to the Den.

We actually finished the mission pretty quickly. 10 minutes to get there, 10 to kill the Chi-You and 10 minutes to get back but I was exhausted from all of this. I had mostly melee attacked the Chi-You and thus had to avoid so many attacks. We decided to regain our energy in the same place that Ciel wanted to talk to me earlier.

"I thank you for all your effort, my noble partner in battle. A few days remain before the wall is back to its former strength. Yet, the citizens are calm." I take the time to notice that he is holding a silver suitcase, I care little for its contents though.

"And behold," speaking of which, Emil presents the suitcase, "I claimed prizes from my Aragami foe. 'Tis not much, still my weapon will... No. No, these are rightfully yours." He extends the briefcase out to me. "The mission could not have succeeded without you." He shakes as he says this. Clearly, he wants to keep the materials for his own God Arc and I want to tease him a bit.

"Their fate lay upon thee." I give a mock bow, something to which Emil doesn't realise it is a joke.

"T-Truly? You're certain? Oh, my friend, this is a blessed day! I am most grateful. Thanks to you, my God Arc will grow strong and bold, I must find a way to repay this gift. Repaying those that help you is a tenet of chivalry. I'll share my finest tea with thee!" Emil continues his frantic flailing of his arms. He definitely likes to be dramatic. It's a shame that I don't like tea, though


	16. Chapter 16

Chapter 16

DISCLAIMER: I DO NOT OWN THE GOD EATER FRANCHISE HOWEVER I DO OWN MY OC.

Name: Cedrick Esparza

Gender: Male

Hairstyle: Style 7 (Dark Brown)

God Arc: Fiery Knife

By the time I had finished my conversation with Emil over a cup of coffee, it was getting really late. He had made me listen to him for hours and the only bit of information I found interesting was something about Link Support Devices. Apparently, the same mechanic that Ciel was introduced to, Licca, has been making these devices as well. The thing is though, when Emil was asked to try one of the devices out, it never worked. Nor did it work for everyone else that tried it. According to him, Licca seemed to be about ready to give up on the device. It was sad to hear that she would give up on something that she devoted a lot of her time to. Maybe I'll have a chat with Licca tomorrow about this whole situation and possibly even about the Blood Bullets that Ciel is currently writing a report about.

In the present time, I am trying to find a guy who was an ex-God Eater named Damian. Emil told me to find him if I wanted more information on the Link Support Devices but never told me of his appearance or where to find him so I've had to organise a treasure hunt for myself in order to find him. This includes asking other people if they had seen him, including my Blood team mates which told me that he often visited Friar. How come I've never met him? Regardless, they had at least given me a description. So now I am looking for a man that is fond of the colour white and has black dreadlocks as well as a headband. It was exhausting to talk to everyone to find just one person. After this, I am turning in for the night.

It was a short while later that I noticed someone with the aforementioned description. I headed in their direction and deemed him to be the person called Damian.

"Excuse me, Damian?" My voice rises in intonation as I speak, unsure of whether the man is actually Damian despite matching the description given of him.

"Hm? You want something, Vice Captain?" He turns around and addresses me. He seemed quite intimidating but his voice didn't have the same vibe which is something I didn't expect. Back at HQ, when I ran into that type of person, the muscular type, or when they had to accompany me outside they were usually always grumpy. This guy didn't seem to be, though. Let's keep it that way.

"I hear that I need to talk to you if I want to know more about the Link Support Devices." I throw out the reason why I am talking to him and his face lights up with a smile. My face also lights up but in surprise. I didn't expect him to like thi subject so much. I would hve figured that talking to people all day about the devices would be a pain to him. Maybe he isn't such a bad guy then.

"Haha! You've come to the right place, Vice Captain!" He speaks with so much passion and excitement in his voice that it is overwhelming. I don't even care about the fact that he knows I am the Vice Captain of Blood; he probably heard about me when talking to my unit, but we haven't formally, or informally, introduced ourselves. I am fine with that, I am not too fond of introductions and I assume he isn't either.

"The Link Support Devices are the latest technology developed right here in the Far East. You'll be wanting to get a lot of use out of them. But it's not without imperfections, they do have limitations." Damian began passionately talking about the new devices. It was clear that he was happy to have made them.

"Limitations? What are they?" I ask to keep the conversation going. I want to learn all I can about these machines if I am to use them in the future.

"Of course, since their God Arcs are linked to the machine, the selected owners can't directly fight. In other words, you can only choose people who aren't going to the field, a minor inconvenience." Damian looked as though he was going to continue but that's when I remembered something.

"Wait wait wait. Emil told me that these Link Support Devices failed when everyone tried to use it, but you're saying they work?" I was confused. I was told that they had failed and yet, Damian is boasting about these devices as if they worked.

"Oh. Okay, I know what you're talking about." He wasn't as excited now but he still explained it to me, "I am talking about the basic devices. Everyone has one, you must be the only one without one. When Emil told you about the devices failing, he was talking about Licca's attempt to create a better device to overcome that hurdle. She told me she'd have a prototype ready soon... You might be able to persuade her to give you one seeing as how you don't already have a device."

"Well, it's probably too late to see Licca now. I'll talk to her tomorrow. I'll see you later, Damian" I speak and get ready to leave.

"Yeah, see you. When you do get a device, if you select me, you'll see exactly how amazing the devices are!" He spoke with the same enthusiasm as earlier. It is nice to see somebody so positive, especially an ex-God Eater. It gives me hope that of I live that long, I'll be able to retire and be a positive person like he is.

It was a bit harder to get to sleep after running through the new information I had received several times to make sure I wouldn't forget it by daybreak. Nevertheless, I managed to get a sufficient amount of sleep. I'm not the type of person to sleep for days. The speculated eight hours for an adult should suit me just fine. It allows me to get the rest I need and not be too sloth-like about it. Moving on though, I've just finished dressing myself in my B.G. Short Blade ensemble when I hear a few rapid knocks on my door. Upon opening my door, I am met with a person that I am unfamiliar with. A woman with short, grey hair with the same colour tank top as well as a pair of red goggles on her head stands in front of my door. The woman also has a few grease stains on each cheek which gives me the impression that she isn't a God Eater, also noticed by the lack of an armlet. Maybe she works in the same unit as Damian.

"Can I help you?" I ask her in confusion as to why she is here.

"Hi there!" She gives me a bright, infectious smile. "I'm Licca Kusunoki, lead engineer workin on Link Support Devices." She introduces herself and my eyes widen slightly. How convenient for the person I intended to talk to today to suddenly show up at my door.

"You're with Blood, yeah?" She asks me.

"Yeah, I'm Cedrick Esparza. Vice Captain of Blood Special Forces Unit." It felt good to finally introduce myself in a formal manner. I wasn't too fond of doing again any time soon though. With introductions out of the way, I thought it would be best for me to ask about these Link Support Devices.

"So what's this Link Support Device you've been working on?" I ask her and am met by the sound of a light, heart-warming chuckle.

"I can tell you've spoke with Damian. He's the reason I am here, actually. He told me that you didn't have one of the basic Link Support Devices. Sadly, there are no more left. But I've been speaking with your Blood team mate Ciel." I nod at that, knowing that the two have been acquainted with one another. "She told me of your Blood Power. I'm not very well knowledged in that area but she also told me that the Blood Bullets awakened because of you. So I thought, you could probably help me out in testing the prototype." Her body moved in rhythm as she spoke. It really gave me the vibe that she knows what she is doing but it was also quite charming. Before giving me a chance to speal if I would agree with her plan, she continued.

"We should scratch a few things off the list though. Thing number one: Prototype means 'still in development', y'know? I can't promise how they'll function in battle. I can only conjecture. Thing number two: I'm gonna need your help with that. It related to what I said earlier, you will need to be testing stuff as well as securing materials, putting yourself in danger. Etcetera, etcetera."

"So, I'm a guinea pig?" I manage to speak for the first time in a while. In response, she gives another light-hearted chuckle before continuing,

"Well, I wouldn't put it exactly like that. I mean it's not like we're experimenting on you." She turned away momentarily in an attempt to hide what she was about to say, "Yet." She could hide it all she wanted to but I definitely heard it. "All right, lemme give you the rundown. I need you to take this new Link Support Device into the field and give it a whirl. If my theory is correct, you should be able to select yourself as Link Support and be able to battle. Theoretically, it should be all kind of freakin' amazing. Well that's all the important bits. So no rush or anything. Just drop on by when you're ready. Cool?" Was it her intention to mkee me feel guilty that I couldn't do this mission right at this moment. Grr, damn her.

"Let me get my Arc and I should be ready to go." I spoke up before she managed to turn all the way around and start walking away. She turned back slightly in response.

"Great. I've already set up your mission. You'll be up against a small herd of Aragami but the main target is a Chi-You. Oh, and I've already taken the liberty of attaching the device to your God Arc. Have fun out there!" She shouted back as she walked into the lift. Her recent speech really surprised me. What made her think I would have went along with her plan from the start? Did she ask my team members what I was like so that she would be able to attach the device without any sort of backlash? I'll need to speak to her about that personality of hers. It could get her in trouble someday. She's just lucky that it isn't from me... Yet.

For some reason, Licca had arranged this mission to make it so that I was the only one fighting the Aragami in this area. Present, there are three Ogretails and two Cocoon Maidens but a Chi-You is supposed to be arriving soon. I'll have to take care of the small fry before I face it. I wouldn't want to focus all of my attention on the Chi-You if there is a possibility to be injured, or even killed, by a smaller Aragami. What an embarrassing way to go that would be. 'Killed by an Ogretail' it would say on the tombstone. It would probably be pretty embarrassing for their family as well. Moving on though, I am currently observing them from a high ledge when Licca decides to speak through my earpiece.

"Licca here. Hello? Hello?"

"Hi Licca." Is my simple response to her constantly trying to get my attention.

"All right, looks like you're God Arc free about now. Feeling good?" She asks me. I have no idea what she means by God Arc free so I suppose it is more for reassuring her than me. As for her question though, I didn't even get time to respond to it.

"Good enough. I'm gonna explain some more boring stuff, so just bear with me, 'kay?" Although she couldn't see it, I nodded my head, realising how stupid of me that was only after I had nodded. Nevertheless, Licca continued,

"Your God Arc is fitted with a cool prototype Link Support Device. Designed by me. So it's awesome... Super awesome." I chuckled slightly at the girl since her latest remarks in the confidence of her ability were pretty humorous.

"It stirs up all the Oracle Cells inside you so that your attacks can get even stronger! Ha! Sweet! Monitor readout says your Link Support Device and God Arc are both synced up perfectly. I'll be here keeping an eye on your vitals. So just keep on fighting! This should be a hell of a show!" Licca finished and I jumped off the ledge; determined to feed m y God Arc its dinner.

Two Ogretails and two Cocoon Maidens down, just one more small Aragami left and there is currently no sign of the Chi-You but the remaining Ogretail is less than 20 metres away. Changing my Arc to Gun Form, I release an onslaught of bullets towards the unsuspecting Aragami. It never stood a chance and fell to the ground in an unmoving heap.

"Your attacks have been registered to be at least 10% stronger than before! I can't believe it actually works!" Whilst alarming, I couldn't really care about what Licca said as the Chi-You had heard the noise and was walking down a steep pathway to reach the battlefield. Thinking quickly, I aimed my Arc for its head and pressed the trigger. The bullet flew through the air and hit the Aragami directly in the head, causing it to be permanently disfigured. Or is that what a Chi-You looks like after its head bond has been broken? Either way it didn't take too kindly to being hit. It started sprinting towards the battlefield and I continued shooting at it. Only about 50% of my bullets hit it so I decided to take the more physical approach and change my Arc to Melee Form to attack it. Surprisingly enough, as the Chi-You glided towards me and I kept swinging my Arc it completely removed the wings of the creature. Without the use of its wings or arms, it became a sitting duck. Its only attacks can be with its head or legs so I just need to keep moving and I should be fine.

The battle was over in one minute. The Chi-You wasn't defeated in that time, rather, it gave up. It accepted death and I removed its core without any hesitation although that got me to think if Aragami are actually sentient beings. Regardless, they are the poison in the Earth's bloodstream and they need to be removed. After this, I had called for the helicopter to retrieve me and never received a word from Licca. So it was a surprise to see her speaking to Hibari when I entered the Den.

"You made it back! That's amazing. I never thought it would actually work." She sounded very pleased but that didn't cover up the fact that she had very little faith in this project of hers.

"Seriously?" I ask her with a surprised expression marring my features. I could have died out there and all for her to know if this project could actually work? Does my life have less significance than a machine?

"Hehe... Seriously. Yeah." She nodded with a chuckle. It was kind of cute to see that but I'm not sure I like her personality enough to have any romantic interest in her. After all, the woman deems my life less significant than a machine! A bloody machine!

"Sure wasn't working when anyone else tested it. But this is awesome! Man, I can't believe I'd almost written it off. It's totally weird actually..." Her tone had changed dramatically in the last sentence.

"I guess someone didn't want you to drop this project." That would have been me but if my life, and only my life, is on the line to test it, I may not want to continue with it. Of course, I may be more inclined to continue the project if there is more than just me fighting these Aragami every time it needs testing.

"So maybe my theory was correct. It does have something to do with your blood. You're the only one with Evoke. Maybe it acted as a catalyst. So here's the plan. We need to further investigate why it only works for you and make improvements as we go along. For the moment, I'm gonna need all types of materials to get started. Can I count on your help?" She asks me but before I can even answer, she starts pleading with me, "I can, right? Right? You know you want to."

"Yeah, sure. One suggestion though, I don't always want to be by myself when testing the Link Support Device out. You'll have to arrange it so that there is more than me on the missions."

"That sounds reasonable. Hey... thanks! You've really given me some new hope. Aaaawesome! Man, I'm on fire right now!" Licca shouts enthusiastically. From the look of her, you would never expect a shrill like that to come from her. It looks like this mechanic can actually be girlish at times. It was actually pretty cute.

"I'll speak to you again once I've determined what materials we will need, 'kay?" She leaves me with her question. Something tells me that she was already anticipating my answer to be yes but after all of this,

"Man, I need a drink."

"You'll have to make sure it is a quick one. Blood has a mission soon. Actually, while you're there you could probably get Gilbert, if he's there of course." The desk receptionist informs me of an impending mission but at least I won't be alone.

I walk into the lobby and grab a quick drink of water before taking a look around.

"Hey, Vice Captain! Over here!" I hear Romeo from my right and look to see him and Kota around a large television. "Come check this out! It's Cypress! It's Cypress' newest single!" I couldn't forget the fact that Romeo is a big fan of celebrities. I remember how he acted back on Friar before we came to the Far East, talking about a person called Winter. He didn't seem to be much of an idol to me so I quickly forgot most of what was said about him. All I know is that the guy is pretty young. Speaking of which, I've never seen him around here, I don't think. Back to the present though, I walk over to Romeo and Kota just in time to see a music video pop up on the screen.

 _All girls love a boy who's smart and tough, you know it!_

 _Our saviour sent from above._

I must admit that the woman singing it does look quite attractive.

 _You see we need a fighter who can take us higher, it's true._

 _Who can defend who he loves._

The woman's dance moves appear to be choreographed to appeal to male viewers and it was working on Romeo, Kota and I can't deny its effect on me either.

 _We overheat! Targets acquired, I can feel the fire_.

The rotating camera shows that this music video was shot in the same place that the God Arc Soldiers were kept. What I want to know is why it was recorded there.

 _He steps up to fight with his God Arc of might._

 _Our battle will start, and he'll activate my heart!_

The God Arc Soldiers in the background moved to appropriately accentuate the song. The song ends and the girl speaks in, what I suspect to be, her normal voice.

"God Arc Soldiers! Have you got what it takes? Yeah!" It is at this point that the message behind the video is clear. Or should I say the message in front of the video is clear as it reveals that the video is just a recruitment advertisement. Well, I am not one to be drawn in by something like that. Unfortunately, I can't say the same for my two colleagues.

"That. Was. SO AWESOME!" I can't disagree with Kota but I don't like how it was all for a recruitment advertisement.

"RIGHT?! She looked so beautiful in that video." I left the two of them to talk between themselves as I remembered that I need to find Gilbert for the next mission.

Luckily, Gilbert was in the lobby and wasn't too far away from where I was standing with Romeo and Kota. Upon retrieval on him, I learned that he was talking to Damian about the Link Support Devices. That doesn't matter right now though, we have a mission to prepare for. So the two of us left the lobby and headed to Hibari's desk. We were impeded before we were able to reach her desk though by a man who spoke,

"Well, well, well! If it isn't Gilbert McLane!" Clearly, the man knew Gil. Who would have given an introduction like that to someone they have never met?  
"H-Haru?" Gilbert stammers in surprise. It was clear to see that they never expected to bump into each other here. I look to person who spoke to Gilbert. From where I am standing,I can only make out red trousers and a black jacket. Anything other than that cannot be identified.

"I can't believe you didn't tell me you were coming out to the Far East!" The person I know to be Haru spoke as he walked closer to us, making it easier to put a face to a name.

"Well, to be honest, I didn't know you were stationed here."

"Yeah? I must have mentioned it. Well, I guess I have been hopping from branch to branch. We haven't seen each other since Glasgow. It feels like a lifetime, my friend." Haru appears to be glad to be catching up with Gilbert although I don't get the same vibe from him. I begin to wonder if there is bad blood between the two.

"It does... It was. I'm glad you found your way home, Haru." Gilbert speaks before remembering that I am beside him. "Ah, Cedrick, this is Haruomi Makabe. We were in the same unit at the Glasgow Branch." Ah, so that's his full name. "Haru, this is the Vice Captain of Blood." Gilbert introduces the two of us to each other.

"The infamous Blood Unit! I've heard a ton about you guys. Sounds like you're tearing up some Aragami. The name's Haruomi Makabe, Captain of the Far East Branch's 4th Unit." He introduces himself again as well as his rank.

"We're actually pretty laid back here. We're nowhere near as crazy as you guys in Blood." He continues before a female shouts to him. Looking at her, I notice her to have long, pink hair that has been styled into a ponytail. Her does looks to be more like an apron and she wears whitish boots. One thing that stands out though is her chest. They were pretty big.

"Captain Haru! I'll go on ahead and report to Director Sakaki. 'kay?!"

"Okay!" He answers with a tilt of his head before returning to us. "That was the 4th Unit's own Kanon Daiba. She's got character, but not... Well, she's not great. She may not be the best marksman, but it's tough to keep her out of my sights. If you know what I'm sayin'!" he speaks with a smile.

"Haru... Don't get hauled before the Court of Inquiry again." Gilbert sounds as though he has said that numerous times, judging by his lethargic tone.

"Haha! Yeah, thinking back, it probably would have been easier to go there than suffer the wrath of her boyfriend." He rubs his chin with a hand, "Let me tell you that she is off limits."

"She has a boyfriend?" Gilbert asks in slight surprise. My eyes also widen slightly in surprise at hearing this.

"Yeah but he's away from the Far East on important business right now. But if he hears that someone has been trying to take advantage of her, well, he'll give you the beating of your life." Haruomi explains.

"Speaking from experience?" I couldn't help but ask to which he just nodded.

"But, hey, lemme know if Gil here steps outta line. I've got plenty of experience reining him in."

"Come on, Haru." Gilbert wasn't too pleased with Haruomi's remark.

"Haha! Just poking some fun, Gil. Anyway, I should get to that report. Let's grab a drink soon, yeah? See ya round!" With that, Haruomi left us which allows us to head to Hibari for the mission.

A/N: I have started a poll. Should Winter, from the prequel, make an early appearance in this story? You can answer in the poll or you can leave a review or give a private menu.


	17. Chapter 17

Chapter 17

DISCLAIMER: I DO NOT OWN THE GOD EATER FRANCHISE HOWEVER I DO OWN MY OC.

Name: Cedrick Esparza

Gender: Male

Hairstyle: Style 7 (Dark Brown)

God Arc: Fiery Knife

The rest of that day went pretty quickly. The Aragami that Gilbert and I fought was relatively easy to take down. When we came back though, Emil wanted to speak to me. Long story short, he is now Dark Emil. Crazy right? Well, I retired for the day after that.

I continue to reflect on the events of the past few days. I am so focused on these memories that I do not notice Haruomi until he begins speaking, standing beside me.

"Hey! How're you doing, Vice Captain, Cedrick?" I turn to him as he speaks, not allowing the slight surprise to show on my face.

"Mind if I take a seat?" I nod my head once. I didn't really want to talk this early in the morning.

"Relax, I'm not gonna hit on a guy... Most days." He tells me with humour in his voice. I really hope that was a joke. His most recent words gave the exact opposite effect than he was hoping for. I may have to keep my guard up around him all the time. Haruomi sits down and stares out of the window for a while before speaking.

"Gil told me what happened during the mission out in the wastes. About the red rain, and you jumping into a beat-up God Arc Soldier to go save your friend. It's crazy." Haruomi spoke with what sounded like a tone of admiration.

"Well, anything for my friends." I looked out of the window and let him continue.

"Hahaha! You take everything in stride. That's nice..." His tone becomes more serious as he continues, "Look, I... I came to talk about Gil. I'm betting he hasn't said much about himself, huh? Plus, I bet you're aching to know what happened back in Scotland."

"I admit that I am intrigued." I turn my head towards him as I speak. It sounds as though Haruomi will be telling me a story so it would be good manners to face the person who is talking.

"Thought so. Now then... Where to start. The Glasgow branch is small. I mean, like, tiny. There were only three God Eaters stationed there. Gil and I, of course. And the third was our team's captain. Her name was Kate. Kate Lawry. She... She was my fiancée." His speech gets slower and I can see that his eyes are closed as if reminiscing. I noticed how he had used the past tense. I assume that the woman died.

"There weren't a ton of Aragami attacks out there, so the three of us managed just fine most days. A routine mission came up on the board and... Well, it should have been routine. I'm gonna be straight with you. This is about to get kinda heavy. Do you want me to keep going?" I didn't expect him to ask me this so it takes a few seconds before I nod my head to him, telling him to continue.

"Okay, well... During that operation, Gil was forced into a really bad situation. He... He had to kill Kate. There was no other option. He was found 'not guilty' at the tribunal, but people still talk, y'know? That's where he got his little nickname, 'Fragging Gil'. Cowards... As if any of them had a right to call him that. As if they had the right to blame him. Anyways, back to the story. We played the fight like normal. Kate and Gil paired up as the advance and I circled around the flank. That's when it appeared..." Haruomi began telling me of his and Gilbert's past; how Gilbert was forced to kill his captain due to her becoming infected and how Haruomi arrived at the scene too late, only to see Gilbert in a state of tears. We had moved to the couches during the story. Well, Haruomi did; I stood near.

"By the time I made it there, it was too late... Kate was already long gone. Blood stained the ground. The fabric of her clothes crushed deep into the dirt and the stone. Gil was clutching her armlet to his chest. He wouldn't look at me, and he... He was crying." I had not spoken a word during his entire tale. I was intrigued by his and Gilbert's past. Haruomi said earlier that I reminded Gilbert of their former captain. That is probably why he scolded me after getting out of solitary confinement. It seems as though Gilbert isn't over what happened in Scotland; something which Haruomi also pointed out.

"Sorry to be so dark." He says as he looks up at me from the couch. There's nothing to apologise for, really. I am the one who said I could take this gloomy mood. He gave me the chance to back out. However, it is still early in the morning so it will probably be on my mind all day. "That's enough for today, yeah?" He asks and I give a nod of the head. If he cannot handle telling me anymore today then I can wait for another day.

"You're a good listener, you know? With such a serious look, it's easy to open up. Yeah... Maybe Gil can see that honesty in your eyes. You know, maybe it even reminds him of Kate. Well, enough of that, right? Today was..." He speaks as he lifts himself from the couch, "pretty good. Let's have another drink sometime. See ya." He gives me his farewell with a hand on my shoulder before leaving. I give a simple nod of my head before returning to my seat near the window.

I stay there for a few more hours as I watch the people of the Far East keep to themselves I took the liberty of introducing myself to the capybara and immediately got along with it. Our time together was short lived though as an emergency announcement came over the intercom. Hibari informed everyone that the 1st Unit were on a mission at Aegis whn a large Aragami suddenly attacked them. Emil and Erina were safely evacuated back to base, but Kota is still at Aegis with no back up. We were to rescue him in waves. The 4th Unit and half of Blood would defend the area around Aegis whilst the other half of Blood, Gilbert, Nana and I, would help Kota directly...

"A few more shots should do it!" I shout to the group encouragingly. We had defeated a Vajra and a few small Aragami. Now, there was only a few more Ogretails left.

"Open fire at the closest one! Upon it's demise, shoot at the next closest one then repeat!" I shout as we all fire a barrage of bullets at the Aragami. With our combined teamwork, the last Ogretail drops.

"We did it!" Nana exclaims in excitement from behind me and I can imagine that she has fist pumped the air as she jumps off of the ground. Kota, whilst happy that the mission was complete, appeared the be very exhausted. I am not surprised, to be honest. He was fighting against a swarm of Aragami before we came here.

"You did a good job to last for that long, Kota." I compliment his abilities as I extend a hand out towards his sitting form.

"Hey, thanks man. I've been doing this a long time but you never get used to it." He speaks as he takes my hand, stands up and puts the other behind his head to give a sheepish expression.

"Ah, my noble comrade. I am glad that you decided to grace us with your skills." Emil, who I had forgot was on this rescue mission because he didn't want to leave his captain behind, thanked Blood and I with his own words.

"I hate to ruin the mood," Gilbert joined the conversation, "but I heard there was a larger Aragami than a Vajra." He seemed to be annoyed that the Aragami wasn't tough enough for him.

"Oh, there was." Kota began as his arms began flailing to match his words, "A few minutes before you arrived, the beast left. It looked to be a type of Hannibal but it was coated in a type of red armour!" Kota exclaims. Something about this Aragami seemed familiar.

"Red armour you say?" Gilbert seemed to be intrigued by this fact as his eyes widened.

"Yeah! And the weird thing is, it had some sort of God Arc lodged in its back." Kota tells us and I realise why it was so familiar. It was the same Aragami that Haruomi was telling me about! The same one that took his and Gilbert's former captain away from them whilst they were at the Glasgow Branch! I looked to Gilbert as I realised this, careful of my facial features as Gilbert still doesn't know that I know about his past with this Aragami. He had reached the same realisation as me.

"Finally." He whispers and I only just manage to hear it.


	18. Chapter 18

Chapter 18

DISCLAIMER: I DO NOT OWN THE GOD EATER FRANCHISE HOWEVER I DO OWN MY OC.

Name: Cedrick Esparza

Gender: Male

Hairstyle: Style 7 (Dark Brown)

God Arc: Fiery Knife

Over the next few days, Gilbert seemed to keep to himself. He would rarely talk to any other person part from when we were on missions. I've heard from many of the God Eaters that went on a mission with him that Gilbert would mumble things occasionally. They managed to pick up certain words and it all resolved around the red Aragami from a few days ago. The same Aragami that helped to put an end to the life of his former captain.

To continue, I was not the only one that began to grow worried. As well as Blood, Haruomi also began to notice that something wasn't right with Gilbert's behaviour. They had rarely spoke since we rescued Kota and it didn't take long for Haruomi to notice why.

"Gil intends to take it on alone... And I don't want it to get away again." Haruomi speaks to me by the mission counter. I had to make sure that this beast was the same one that Haruomi was told me about.

"This Aragami... It is the same one you were telling me about, right?" I hesitated slightly. I didn't want to bring back memories of his former lover but if the beast is in this region then it is our duty to slay it.

"I came to the Far East Branch because I'd heard an Aragami pierced with a God Arc had come here. The one that Kota was talking about had a God Arc in it... That God Arc might be Kate's." He answered me. It sounded as though he was unsure as to whether it was the same Aragami that Gilbert believes it is. However, how often do you hear about a large, red Aragami that has been pierced with a God Arc that has suddenly decided to make its presence known to the God Eaters at the Far East.

"So this is about..." I didn't continue. The longer we had this discussion, the more likely it would be that Haruomi would remember his feelings for his now deceased _fiancée_ _and the more likely the reason for hunting this Aragami would be for revenge._

 _"_ _Yes... But I'm not only out to avenge Kate. I also want to free Gil. He's moored himself forever in that place... I know Kate would want him to let go." He answers me and I give a determined, yet comforting nod to him. I know why he wanted to have this discussion with me. He wants me to help the two of them out. To stop them from taking it too far and taking unnecessary risks._

 _"_ _Understood."_

 _"_ _I'll be in your debt." He speaks. A few seconds go by before anything else is said._

 _"_ _Well, enough sentimental crap. You should get prepared for this mission. Meet me on the roof when you're ready to head out. I'll see if Gilbert is ready." He spoke with his usual voice and marched towards the lift where I assume he will be heading to Blood's Quarters. I give it a few seconds before deciding to descend the stairs near the lift to the God Arc Storage Area._

 _Now, I know that this Aragami is a particularly tough one. After all, when Gilbert and his former captain, two very experienced God Eaters, were fighting it only one of them escaped. Although, I guess you can say that Gilbert never really escaped as he has been forced to live with the aftermath of the battle. So... this Aragami. I know nothing of its weaknesses, if it has any, so I'll just have to go by logic. It is known as the "red Aragami", what attribute is usually assumed to be affiliated with red? Blaze. So if I assume it is a Blaze type then if I can modify my Arc to give out Freeze attacks then I will the advantage! That's what I'll do._

 _I log onto a terminal nearby in the Storage Area and look up my God Arc. What I can see on screen is the exact same God Arc that I can see a couple of Arcs down from the comes to my attention though that my God Arc is currently suited for Blaze attacks. That will be no good if I am to fight against an Aragami that can use the same type of attacks, so I click onto the "craft" section in the terminal and look up any Freeze type, short-blade God Arcs I can craft. Luckily, I do find an Arc that I can craft but it costs quite a bit of money to do so. I have the necessary materials, Weak Tool Steel, Oil and a Freeze Ogre Fang but it will make quite a large dint in my pocket. Well, if it is all to help with my missions then so be it. I quickly press the "craft" option so that there is no chance that I can back out and watch as my Arc is taken away by a machine for the improvements. I log out of the terminal and wait on a nearby couch._

 _Not even five minutes pass by before I am joined by one of my fellow Blood comrades._

 _"_ _Cedrick, I've been looking for you." Ciel speaks with a hand to her chest. It seems as though she is a little out of breath. Has she been running around the branch to find me?_

 _I raise an eyebrow but say nothing, allowing her to continue._

 _"_ _I've asked Maintenance to help with the Blood Bullets I told you about. I've learned a lot."_

 _"_ _Oh?" My voice rises in intonation, "like what?"_

 _"_ _Well, I'd like to report my findings to you. Do you have some time?" Ciel asks me and stares towards where my God Arc would be._

 _"_ _I'm waiting for the improvements on my Arc to be completed, so yes, I do have time. I'd like to hear what you have found, Ciel." I gesture to the empty space on the couch beside me. Thankfully, there is a small table in front of us which she puts her report on. I flick through the pages and realise that it is almost as thick as a narrative._

 _"_ _As you can see, Maintenance performed heavy analysis and gathered fascinating new results. Allow me to summarise my knowledge." She speaks professionally but with gentle smile on her face. I'm glad that she is taking the liberty of summarising the report otherwise it would take me the rest of the day to read it._

 _"_ _Blood Bullets are... Mutations. When we use Gun Form, our innate abilities react with the bullets in the chamber and create something new." As Ciel speaks, I continue to flick through the report in a slow manner but turn to her every few seconds._

 _"_ _They are restricted to certain gun types and cannot be edited, but they have unique traits. The basic structure of these bullets seem to be the same as the everyday variety. However, there's a mutation in the module that is responsible for these new characteristics." I must admit, I'm not really following what she is saying here. I do have some knowledge of how bullets work, but they are just normal bullets so I have no idea how Blood Bullets work._

 _"_ _Mutation in the what?" I ask in confusion._

 _"_ _Ah, m-my apologies. I know it's a bit dense." She stumbles with her apology which I find quite cute but she didn't need to apologise in the first place. Ciel must have realised that she was using technical terms and therefore making it difficult for a person who doesn't understand those terms, me, have difficulty in understanding the whole thing. I'm glad that Ciel is summarising the report otherwise I'd have to deal with a lot more jargon by reading through it myself._

 _"_ _Let me put it this way. Bullets are really basic things. They are propelled through an enemy to deal damage. Kind of a... one note tool." As Ciel speaks, my Arc returns to its original place with the improvements being made. I continue to listen to Ciel but take note that my Arc is now ready for combat._

 _"_ _When a module mutates to create a Blood Bullet, it gains something new, something unique. And that tool becomes versatile. But these new bullets can do incredible things! What was once a weapon only for destruction can now... Heal us! Siphon off poisons!" As Ciel's enthusiasm grows, mine also grows. We were both becoming more excited at the new possibilities of these bullets._

 _"_ _I've been referring to such changes as 'Mutant Modules'. They are rather impressive. Do you follow me so far?" She does a cute head tilt as she speaks. She is really getting into this bullet customisation. Her smile has grown slightly larger and the excitement in her voice cannot be contained._

 _"_ _Yeah, I got it." I nod at her with a smile._

 _"_ _Of course." She gets up from the couch and points at a certain part of the report. "You'll find all the details in this report. Read it at your leisure." I focus on the report again and begin to read it. However, I can't shake the feeling that someone is staring at me. A few more seconds pass by and I turn to Ciel to see that she was the person staring at me with a smile. I wonder..._

 _"_ _What's up?" Surely there must be a reason why she continues to stare at me even when I've caught her in the act._

 _"_ _Huh? Ah! N-Nothing! Sorry, I was... I was just daydreaming. Um... Just... Studying like this, with a friend, well it's something I've always wished to do." Her voice took a reminiscing tone, "It was always different with Dr. Rachel or Dr. Leah and all my military instructors... I would sit alone and work, my teachers would stand before me or stare over my shoulder. So, this is wonderful. I can hardly believe we're studying together... side-by-side." A few seconds pass as she stares at me again. I must admit that I am not against being the object of her infatuations but, right now, I still have a mission to do._

 _"_ _Oh! I'm sorry. That must have sounded so strange." Ciel speaks and apologises, whether that is out of politeness and she suddenly feels strange is unknown to me._

 _"_ _Ah, look. I almost forgot this!" She points to the report again. "This is the discussion pertaining to the original causes of module mutation." She brings my attention to the area on the report by taking her finger a few times. In the paragraph that she points to, I can see my name, several times._

 _"_ _My name is on there." I had to wonder why Ciel would include me in her report. Well, you were an inspiration. The feeling was very similar to you evoking my Blood Power." She explains. "For the moment, that's all I have."_

 _"_ _Okay, thanks Ciel. I'll have a look at it soon. Right now I have to go on a mission." I inform her of my plans to read it soon and tell her to put the report in my room. After that, I head to my Arc and retrieve it before traversing to the roof._

 _Mission Loadout:_

 _Arc: Ice Drill_

 _On the rooftop, I meet Gilbert. He seems quite surprised to see me._

 _"_ _Vice Captain, I have something I need to tell you." His sudden words surprise me slightly but I don't respond as I allow him to continue. "This is my problem, all right? I gotta fix it on my own. So just let me handle it."_

 _"_ _Listen Gil, I'm just here to help." I inform him to which he gives a heavy sigh._

 _"_ _Come on! You gotta keep your nose outta this one." He almost seems to plead with me._

 _"_ _Sorry to interrupt, I'm the one who brought the Vice Captain into it." Haruomi makes his presence known and walks towards us._

 _"_ _What the hell, Haru?" Gilbert protests. Something tells me that Haruomi prepared himself for his explanation._

 _"_ _Gil, we should all be a part of this."_

 _"_ _Look, I respect your opinion, but this-"_

 _"_ _Hey, Gil... This is my problem too. Besides, you wouldn't just sit quietly and let me go off all alone."_

 _"_ _... No... I guess I wouldn't." Gilbert finally seems to understand the situation._

 _"_ _Don't worry, man. We all know how it feels. Ain't that right, Cedrick?" Haruomi asks me and I nod my head in response. At this, the three of us board a helicopter and head of to the Abandoned Carrier._

 _As we approach the Abandoned Carrier, the Aragami that we are looking itself becomes more visible._

 _"_ _That's the one." I hear Gilbert mumble to himself as he looks towards the beast. I take the time to look over the Aragami and see for any possible weak points. It looks as though the beast's main attacking options are its arms as it has blades equipped to them. Other than them, it doesn't appear to be very strong but I'm sure it has other methods of attacking._

 _"_ _Don't be fooled by its looks, it has a wide range of Freeze attacks at its disposal." Haruomi informs me and I find myself surprised at its attribute attacks._

 _"_ _Freeze? You mean Blaze, right?" I ask him, hoping that he made a mistake._

 _"_ _No. Freeze attacks. Why do you ask?" Sh*t. Now I regret making those improvements on my Arc. Now, I'm going to be almost useless in this fight!_

 _"_ _Since it is red, I thought it would be weak against Freeze attacks. Now my attacks aren't going to do much." I spoke, balling my fists up in anger._

 _"_ _Well, you just have to make sure to put more effort into your attacks. Or you could use Gun Form with Blaze bullets." He provided alternatives which lessened my anger._

 _"_ _All right, this is as far as I can go. I'll pick you up in the same spot." The pilot informs us and I realise that we have made it above ground. The helicopter hovers about 10 metres above the ground._

 _"_ _You both ready?" Haruomi asks Gilbert and I. In response, Gilbert jumps out of the helicopter without uttering a word._

 _"_ _As ready as I can be." I jump from the helicopter as well._

 _As we all land, we draw the attention of the Aragami which sits at the other side of a ledge. It quickly closes the distance to just 10 metres as it jumps to our side of the ledge. The beast towers over us before taking a fighting stance and giving a threatening roar._

 _"_ _Listen guys, we're going to need to..." I begin but Gilbert rushes towards the monster with a murderous glare. He attempts to slash at it but the monster easily dodges by jumping from one hand and onto the ledge._

 _"_ _Gilbert! We need to..."_

 _"_ _It's no use Cedrick. We're just going to have to improvise." Haruomi speaks up before joining Gilbert in slashing the red Aragami. I sigh at their antics before changing my Arc to Gun Form. I fire a few Blaze bullets at the beast at every few seconds so that I don't hit my team mates. I quickly run out of Oracle Points though, so I have to switch to my Melee Form in order to continue attacking. It easily dodges all of our attacks by jumping away._

 _"_ _This isn't going to work!" I shout. Gilbert ignores me and continues attacking._

 _"_ _Gilbert! Your recklessness is going to get somebody killed!" He still ignores me. It's time to up my level._

 _"_ _It's this type of behaviour that got Kate killed!" I shout. I know that it will have an area affect seeing as how Kate was Haruomi's lover but I still had to say it. Teamwork is the only thing that will beat this Aragami and if I had to make him hate me to see that then it is a worthy sacrifice. Sure enough, my words do have an affect on him as he stops ruthlessly attacking the beast and heads towards me. Temporarily leaving Haruomi as the only one attacking the Aragami._

 _"_ _What would you know about any of that?!" Gilbert shouted as he lifted me off of the ground by my shirt with ease._

 _"_ _Attacking that monster with no form of plan is exactly the type of thing to get somebody killed!"_

 _"_ _You don't know anything about that day!" He was speaking very aggressively but I could sense sorrow in his voice as well._

 _"_ _I know that you were forced to kill your former captain. The battle didn't end well and only you survived the battle!" I didn't care how angry he was, I still need him to see that we need to fight with a plan._

 _"_ _He's right, Gil. Even I can see that we need to fight together to beat this beast." Haruomi was forced to communicate through the earpiece as, if he brought the Aragami to us, that would definitely be a casualty maybe even a fatality. I don't know if we were getting through to him but the tears threatening to fall from his eyes made me believe that we were._

 _"_ _If you charge in recklessly then you'll get somebody killed. Could you handle another person's blood on you hands?!" I shout to emphasise my point. "No, you couldn't. If this is how you act when one of your friends was killed, imagine how you'd ask if Haruomi, or even I, was killed." I looked towards Haruomi after I had said this to see he was struggling to fight the monster._

 _"_ _Haruomi needs our help. We can only defeat this beast if we do it together. Will you listen to your team?" I remove myself from Gilbert's grip and run towards the monster. It looked as though it was preparing a killing blow against Haruomi so I forced myself to end my discussion with Gilbert quickly. I hit my Arc against the beast, the ineffectiveness of my attack confused the beast as it turned away from Haruomi and to me instead. Something it shouldn't have done as Haru's Arc is more effective than mine and it left an opening which he took._

 _"_ _Gra!" The monster grunted as it stumbled due to the attack on its leg._

 _"_ _Haruomi, keep going for its right leg. I'll get its left. Gilbert, if you've finished feeling sorry for yourself then switch to your Gun Form and hit its blades." I inform everyone of their jobs. Haru and I get to work on hitting the beast's leg and, due to my Arc's ineffectiveness and therefore weaker attacks, the Aragami fights against Haru but there is one thing that the beast didn't account for. At such a short distance, a few shots with my gun to its underbelly will be fatal! I switch to Gun Form and fire a total of five, short range shots into its underbelly where it stumbles to the ground in an unmoving heap._

 _"_ _Is it dead?" Gilbert finally speaks as he joins us, walking close to the Aragami._

 _"_ _It looks that way-" Just as Haruomi says this, the beast uses its fist to pick itself up from the ground, "Seriously?! This is one stubborn Aragami." Haruomi jumps back and I do too. Gilbert tried to do the same thing but failed as the monster clips him with its arm. He is launched several metres away and falls against a rock._

 _"_ _Damn... I-It got me." He speaks in pain from his position. I prepare my Arc for an attack._

 _"_ _Hold on! I'm coming!" Haru speaks and also takes a fighting stance. We quickly get out of this stance, however, as the Aragami attempts to sweep us into the ground with a swinging tail attack. I jump to avoid it with Haruomi doing the same thing but his jump increases the distance between the Aragami and him. As if enraged at me easily dodging its attack, the monster leaps into the air as its blades extend from its arms before it shoots itself towards me. All I can do is raise my Arc's shield as a response. Unfortunately, with the Aragami's added boost of its thrusters, upon colliding with my Arc, it easily knocks it away. So now, I am a metre in front of the beast with no defence whatsoever._

 _"_ _Cedrick!" Gilbert exclaims from his position in front of the rock and attempts to get back to his feet. I continue to glare at the monster in front of me which glares back at me with the same malicious intent._

 _"_ _No... Not again. No..." I can hear Gilbert's whispers through my earpiece and keep an eye on the beast. It is only a matter of time before it decides to go for the killing strike. It's quite funny really. I am staring death in the face and yet, every other time I have done so I have been shaken to the core. Maybe I am finally getting a hand of having my life on the line for every mission._

 _"_ _Why?! Am I cursed to lose everyone that matters?!" Gilbert's voice has now become more of a shout. I don't need my earpiece to hear him now._

 _"_ _No! There's just no damn way... I will never surrender... Never!"_

 _"_ _Yes! Gil, that's it. Now we're talking!" Haruomi shouts, "Hit 'em with everything you've got!" Almost as if the Aragami thought that Haru was talking to it, it began charging towards me, blades at the ready to cut me into many pieces but I know my friends won't let that happen. Haruomi shoots the beast's right arm which causes it to stumble, revealing the God Arc stuck in its side. My only option of escaping here will be to somehow further lodge Kate's Arc into it. I jump up and do just that by kicking the Arc further into it. I would be unable to touch the arc with my bare hands as I will suffer the consequences but that doesn't stop me from kicking it further into the beast. It stops its run completely now and Gilbert has found his way to his feet._

 _"_ _Grrrr!" He charges towards the beast with his Arc leading the way. I could only think that he was having some thoughts about Kate and the current situation right now. The beast recovers from the earlier attacks and roars with its hand glowing blue, ready to launch another attack._

 _"_ _DIE!" Gilbert screams as he plunges his Arc slightly above the beast's pelvis where it screams in agony for the last time before plummeting to the ground. As it does so, Kate's God Arc becomes dislodged from its body. Gilbert collapses to the ground in exhaustion after that and I walk towards him, extending a hand for him._

 _"_ _Good job, Gilbert. You've finally defeated the beast that haunted you."_

 _"_ _Yeah, I did..." We talked for a long while before the helicopter came to pick us up. During both, the conversation after the battle and the conversation on the ride back to the Far East, I was berated for my use of Kate's name despite the fact that he admitted that he needed the wake up call. Today proved to Gilbert that team work was essential and that you should never face anything alone. I just hope that this lesson will help him get along better with Blood and everyone else on the team, namely Romeo. After we came back from the mission, I went straight to my room where I decided to relax by checking through all the features of the terminal which included looking at my emails. One in particular stood out to me. I had received it only minutes earlier,_

 _ _I don't think I could say this to your face.__

 _ _But it needs to be said.__

 _ _I'm grateful for what you did.__

 _ _I'll pay you back someday. Okay, bye.__

 _Gilbert is a man of few words but he thanked me all the same. I'm glad I could be there for him in his hour of need._


	19. Chapter 19

Chapter 19

DISCLAIMER: I DO NOT OWN THE GOD EATER FRANCHISE HOWEVER I DO OWN MY OC.

Name: Cedrick Esparza

Gender: Male

Hairstyle: Style 7 (Dark Brown)

God Arc: Ice Drill (Short Blade), Apega Blaze (Sniper Rifle), Kurogane Tower (Shield)

Blood Art: Blood Cascade II

The mission with Gilbert and Haruomi earlier was completed fairly quickly which gave me more spare time than I expected. To pass the time, I took another scan of the terminal and ended up swapping my Ice Drill for Burning Maiden. It uses materials from a Blaze type Cocoon Maiden and it looks pretty cool too. It has three red prongs so it isn't just the standard type of Blade. Hopefully it will do a lot more damage as well. I figure that I probably should try my new Arc out and thus decide to enter the training room and complete a training drill. I select my opponents to be a herd of smaller Aragami to see how capable I am of defeating these beasts by myself...

God Arc: Burning Maiden (Short Blade), Apega Blaze (Sniper Rifle), Kurogane Tower (Shield)

A matter of seconds later, the simulacra arise from the depths of the ground and give a fearful roar. Had I not have already battled more fearsome monsters then I may have been scared as the few Ogretails began preparing an attack. I notice that each attack is different with one of them charging at me with he jaws open in anticipation whilst another one looks as though it is about to shoot icicles towards me. The remaining simulacrum has leaned back on its tail, seemingly ready to pounce. I deal with each attack in the same order of the most threatening. The first is to simply side step the monster's jaws and execute another side step for the icicles. I have to force myself to move backwards to avoid the leaping Ogretail. I get back into a prepared stance and wait for the three monsters to make another move. I didn't want to attack and end the simulation too early otherwise I would not have learned anything. I back step again to give a bit more distance but the Aragami slowly nudge forward as well. It's almost like a stand off. One side waiting for the other to attack. Well, I'm not a very patient man!

"Hya!" I charge towards them with my Arc held to my side, ready to pierce anything that gets in the way. The monsters seem a little surprised by how suddenly I charged towards the but they prepare their own attacks in retaliation. I halt my run, realising that I won't be able to dodge all of their attacks without injury and change to Gun Form; unloading a round of Blaze bullets at them and then capitalising on their recoil by slashing each one with my Melee Form. That took quite a bit of stamina out of me but they are now much closer to death than before. I charge in again; ready to use the same tactic. They don't fall for it though and charge towards me, but I keep running. If there is a chance of taking one of them down with this tactic then I will use it. As we decrease the distance between us, another tactic comes to mind. I roll at a 45 degree angle to avoid a head on collision but make sure that my God Arc was still in Melee Form so that I could connect with the leading Ogretail. It quickly sinks into the ground, defeated. One down, two to go. Speaking of which, these two have just turned around to face me again. I think so anyway, I can't quite see the two Ogretails. I begin to wonder if there is a fault in the program. Not even a second later, I realise that it wasn't just the simulacra that were blurry, everything was. As I come to terms with this, I fail that an Ogretail is about to deliver a killing blow and thus, the simulation ends. When I realise it has ended, I focus on my surroundings again but I am met with the same blurred vision. Something wasn't right. Maybe I was just too tired to see properly.

"Hopefully some rest will cure this." I speak aloud to myself before leaving the training room, clutching my head as the blurred vision begins to give me a headache. I keep to the wall to help me to work my way around. My vision wasn't too blurry but still blurry enough to make things in front of me unclear. However, a few minutes later, I made it to my room where, upon unlocking the door, I stumbled in and dropped onto the bed; desperately hoping for sleep to overcome me.

The following morning, I awake to find that my vision had been restored and give a sigh of relief. That has instantly put me in a better mood as I was fearing the worst beforehand. I jump, almost skip, out of bed and get dressed for the day. I feel like today will be a good day and leave my room quickly. I decide that I will get breakfast from the cafeteria and head there with a smile on my face.

Upon entering the cafeteria, I see a few other people in there including Ciel, sitting at a table by herself. I grab a tray and my breakfast is served onto it. It looked to be a healthy breakfast of a fruit salad. I head towards Ciel's table and sit opposite her.

"Good morning Ciel." I greet her and take a forkful off salad and eat it.

"Good morning Cedrick. I must say that I have never seen you in a better mood." She greets me and comments on my giddy mood.

"That's because something good happened, but enough of that. How have the Blood Bullets been coming along?" I start a discussion about a topic that I know we both have an interest in, although she is more interested in it than I am.

"Well, until now, I've always conducted my custom bullet tests with Sniper Rifles." Ciel begins as I continue eating, making sure to look at her to show I am paying attention. I believe that, to understand their functions better, I need to test them with various guns. So I spent some time in Maintenance and made bullets for each gun type." She finishes before consuming what is left of her breakfast.

"Wow! You're really dedicated to this, aren't you?" It must have taken a long time to develop bullets for each gun type. I haven't even attempted to make my own bullets and yet, Ciel is making multiple copies for different guns. It's incredible really.

"Hehe." She gave a cute chuckle before continuing, "I learned quite a lot in the process, but not much about the practical applications. Which um..." The smile drops from her face and she begins looking around the room. I think that she may be nervous, but of what I am unsure.

"Well you see... That leads to my next... Um..." Within a blink of an eye, she the nervousness from her tone disappears, "If you don't mind, would you test them with me?" Ah, so she was nervous about asking for my help. I don't see why. She knows I will.

"Of course." I tell her and take the last bite of breakfast that I have left.

"Excellent! Here we have bullets for assault, blast, sniper and shotguns. It should be fun! That's fun, right?" The excitement in her ton fluctuates as she asks her question. She is still learning how to open up so it's cute to see her being nervous.

"Yes, Ciel. It's fun. Are you going to stick with your sniper rifle?" I ask her as I don't know if she has tested them bullets out yet.

"Yes, I am. So if you don't mind, could you use a different gun?" Again, she was nervous in asking me but I had already planned to use a different gun if she was using her sniper rifle.

"Of course. I was planning on it." I give her a brighter smile so that she doesn't become as nervous.

"Excellent!" her smile only increases my smile's brightness. "Let's begin the test as soon as we can. I'd like to see the result of our combined powers. I think there's a good chance the bullets will mutate even faster! Are you ready to go now?" She asks me, she must really want to rush this along.

"Just give me enough time to change my Arc and I'll be ready to go." I only needed about 10 minutes to get ready. "So, meet me at the helicopter in 10 minutes." I speak to her before standing up, taking my tray with me to the bin.

"Okay, see you then!" She shouted after me with a smile on her face and gave a little wave. I waved as well before leaving the cafeteria with my next destination being the God Arc Storage Area.

In the God Arc Storage Area, I went through the same process as I did yesterday. Finding a new Arc type and crafting it. It didn't take long before I decided to stick with a pre-made Kurogane Assault gun. Therefore I will be testing out the assault gun bullets. As I was waiting for my Arc to be customised into the assault gun, I took the liberty of adding a few O-Ampules to my carried items. It will help me when I run out of Oracle Points - basically an easy refill.

It took a few more minutes for my Arc to be customised but once it was I headed straight for the roof. Upon arrival, I could see that Ciel was waiting next to one of the helicopters. She gave me a gesture of "hurry up" before boarding the helicopter. The blades started spinning and I ran to get on it before it took off.

Along the way to the mission destination, I was told that we were to fight against a herd of small Aragami and that there had been a few sightings of a Gboro-Gboro nearby so we would need to be vigilant of it. We arrived a few minutes later and could instantly identify three Ogretails and two Dreadpikes in the small herd. The Gboro-Gboro didn't appear to be anywhere near the herd so it should be easy to kill them.

"Here." Ciel says as she transfers the Blood Bullets for the assault gun to me.

"Thanks, Ciel. I can't wait to try them out." I jumped out of the helicopter after these words and landed a short distance away from the herd but I was still heard by them. The leading Ogretails began charging in my direction and I aimed my gun at them, equipping one of the Blood Bullets, henceforth referred to as BB, and shooting it. I could hear Ciel landing a few metres behind me, having just jumped from the helicopter as well. My bullets hit the beasts head on and Ciel runs to my side, shooting at an equal footing. Within one minute, the monsters have been defeated and we let our God Arcs feed on their cores.

"I'm almost certain I felt my Blood Power manifest in that battle. Thank you. I think a new BB was formed in the process too." Ciel spoke.

"Really? Great work, Ciel!" I was amazed that a new BB could be formed in a battle that didn't even last one minute.

"It is as I hypothesised. The presence of your Resonance increases the chance for a mutation." She spoke and I think I can detect a bit of excitement in her voice.

"Vindication!" I fist pumped the air.

"Hehe! Th-Thank you." I got another cute little chuckle from Ciel. I believe this mission was a great success. You know, I'm in such a good mood that, the next time Ciel and I have a mission like this, I could even hold a competition with her.

"So, we should get back now, right? There's no doubt that you would want to analyse the results."

"Yeah, you're right. I will wish to analyse them." With that said, we were transported back to the branch where Ciel and I parted ways as she continued researching and I rested, chatted and consumed for a long while.

It was five hours later before I stumbled upon Ciel again. In fact, she had come to see me. After the greetings she got to the point.

"I've been analysing the Blood Bullet effects, but I hit something of a dead end. Could you help me with my analysis when you have time? As they say, two heads are better than one." She asked me with a hint of nervousness in her voice.

"I'm not sure how much help I'll be." I inform her with a nervous smile. She did have to explain to me how far along the project is and it was hard to understand her then. Surely there'd be somebody better she could ask. Maybe Gilbert. I heard he's been interested in the mechanics of God Arcs lately, maybe he could help her.

"Don't worry about that!" She rushed to answer me. I have the feeling that she just wants me to listen to a rant about the BB. "Just having you there would make a difference." These words further backup my thoughts.

"In that case, I'd be glad to help." I give a reassuring smile. Maybe I could be of some use to her.

"Thank you! Could you please come with me?" She gestured to me to follow her as we walked somewhere more private. It turns out to be the same place that we were speaking to earlier.

When we were comfortable, she began.

"Hmm... It appears that each Blood Bullet has a different and unique characteristic." I can already tell that this explanation will be full of subject specific words. I pay very close attention to what she informs me. From this sentence, I can deduce that each BB is special in its own way.

"For example, analysis of the second bullet shows a new trait called 'Pierce'. Intriguing." There's no doubt in my mind that she loves this subject.

"Pierce?" I repeat in confusion; not being aware of every BB trait, I don't know what she is talking about.

"Pierce allows a bullet to drive through an enemy instead of shattering on impact. Take a sniper rifle for instance. It hits, activates its effect, then shatters. It is an exceptional tool on its own, but imagine if it had the piercing effect of laser fire." She explains and I keep my attention focused on her words.

"So, we could possibly have two or more effects for these bullets?" I was getting excited at the prospect.

"Well, somehow, in all of the myriad natural reactions that occurred, this bullet was created that can do just that." I couldn't understand this at all.

"That was a little complex." I speak, informing her that I wasn't able to understand.

"Ah... S-So sorry." She loses the smile on her face as she apologises, "Basically, this bullet will pierce multiple targets, hitting each with explosive force." So, according to her explanation, instead of hitting just one Aragami, it could pierce through that and hit another? That sounds very cool!

"We might be able to make more like it. Bullets with effects that we couldn't have imagined!" She, too, was getting excited. The smile on her face was growing larger as she spoke of the subject.

"That sounds great! Is there some way that we can choose what effects these bullets have? Like, can we edit them?" My excitement was beginning to shine through my voice. I'm sure Ciel was feeling the same way.

"Hmm..." She didn't sound very happy. Was it because of my question? "That's a difficult question. I've made several so far, it'd be great to edit them. However, it seems that the modules themselves are fixed. I'm not sure it's even possible. The bonds are incredibly strong. I haven't found a way to dismantle them for editing. Licca said it was like looking at an unbreakable shield wall. Not those exact words." She seemed dejected and my excitement also deflated. Is there some way that- wait, what would happen if two BB were to collide with each other?

"Have you tried using another Blood Bullet?" I can feel my blood boiling in excitement again. Hopefully she hasn't already tried this.

"Huh?" She is confused by what I mean, but before I can explain it to her she figures out what I mean. "Ah! The impact of one Blood Bullet against another! That's it!" She excitement was growing as well. "Can you wait here? I need to try this right now! I'll be back in one moment!" She asks and I give a nod in confirmation. Hopefully, the result of this test will be that we can edit Blood Bullets. She ran off as I nod my head. I can only look after her as she leaves.

Once she is out of sight, I begin to look around the room. I see Nana in her usual outfit surrounding the capybara, occasionally petting it and looking at it through the cage. Near her, Emil is sitting by the pool table; seemingly bored as he has no one to play pool with. At the other end of the room, somebody sits on one of the couches. I can't quite identify the person as everything I see suddenly becomes fuzzy. I begin to worry for my eyesight again. I shut my eyes and tighten them, hoping that being submersed in darkness for a while will help fix them. I reopen my eyes and let my eyes adjust. Thankfully, I am able to see more clearly now but a slight blurriness remains. It worries me.

A few rapid footsteps draws my attention away from my eyes as Ciel appears in front of me, taking a few deep breaths before talking with a hand to her chest.

"I... I did it." Oh? Good news? "It sounded mad almost, but it worked! I placed the bullets downrange and fired free. Some of them were damaged, but... That was the key! The sheer impact of an unstoppable force and an immovable object created this! We can finally customise Blood Bullets!" She was clearly excited and it was contagious.

"Great work, Ciel!" I was just as excited. At least, I thought so. I wasn't so excited as to suddenly hug Ciel as she had done to me.

"You're... You're amazing!" She kept a strong but gentle grip as I could feel her arms wrapped around my back. Before I knew it, my arms were wrapped around her. I suppose I can let her cuddle me. She was probably so excited that- wait, did her grip just tighten? What's this I can feel on my arm? They're soft but something seems to be blocking full access to them. Oh. Her breasts.

"Ciel, I-"

"Ah!" I think she realised that she suddenly latched onto me. She turned her head away from me. "S-Sorry. I was excited and... got carried away. Thank you so much." She seemed very grateful but there was a hint of some other emotion in her voice. I can't tell if it was nervousness or something else. "I can hardly wait to begin new testing. I... I don't want to be a bother, but..." Was it anticipation I could hear in her voice? Oh, she wants to ask if I can accompany her on another mission, right? Definitely. I wish to see the results of these new Blood Bullets.

"Let's go." I stand up.

"I can't believe it. You have my eternal gratitude. I... I just... Thank you so much!" The fact that she doesn't realise what I would do for my friends is cute.

An hour later, and the two of us are standing beside the core-less corpses of two Cocoon Maidens.

"I've only noticed it recently, but... I'm always apologising to you, aren't I?" She suddenly asks and it takes me a few seconds to answer.

"Not at all." I tell her out of comfort although I think the exact opposite. Honestly, I was less concerned with talking and more concerned with my eyesight. It had gotten blurrier during the battle with the Aragami. Actually, it had gotten quite severe. I had to stop fighting and held back a bit, I let Ciel kill the Aragami and devour their cores. I did switch into Gun Form to make it seem like I was shooting the Aragami; I don't want Ciel to worry about me. When we get back to the Den, I'm going to have to go to the infirmary.

"I-I'm sorry." She apologises and then realises she has, "Oh! Hehe..." She gave a cute chuckle before continuing, "Maybe... Maybe it started because I always feel like I'm imposing on you, taking time. But, you spoke to me when I first joined Blood. Long before I thought I would fit in. And more than that." She was beginning to get a bit sentimental. "You risked your life, your freedom, your career, just on the hope of me..." She held a smile on her face as she reminisced. "You awoke your blood power with your care, your kindness. Simply by being who you are. And even then..." She probably doesn't realise that her speaking so highly of me is making me very happy. "You became my... My first ever friend. Maybe that's why I'm always apologising, because you've done so much for me." She also, probably, doesn't realise that her company has been enlightening for me as well.

"It works both ways, Ciel." I tell her how I feel with a smile on my face, making sure to look at her. I feel my smile weaken slightly as I realise I can't make out the features in her face.

"Hehe!" My smile weakens again as I can't see her face as she chuckles. "Not too long ago, I don't think I would have understood that. I wouldn't believe it. But now, we've spent so much time together, I think I know just how amazing those words are. Blood Bullets are a technical marvel. They'll make our fighters better. They'll save lives. To truly understand the technology and share it with the world, I'll need help. And that's... That's why I want to keep researching this... That's why I hope you'll continue to help me. Will you?" She asks, the tone of her voice makes me assume she already knows that answer.

"Always." If she needs help with anything, I will try my best to help her.

"I thought you might say that. Thank you." I was right. She did know what my answer was. "You've done so much to make me who I am. I want to at least try to repay you... So..." My heart picks up in speed and I can feel myself sweat a little bit more. I'm not sure why though. Is it a result of my blurry eyesight. "If you let me..." My heart rate increases again. "If you want me to..." And again. "Please... Allow me to stay your friend- your best friend- forever." She speaks with a smile on her face and I can feel the wind from the helicopter as it lands but I disregard that. I even disregard the blurriness of my vision. Instead, I focus on the pain in my heart and why I have it...


	20. Chapter 20 - Diagnosis and Treatment

Chapter 20

DISCLAIMER: I DO NOT OWN THE GOD EATER FRANCHISE HOWEVER I DO OWN MY OC.

Name: Cedrick Esparza

Gender: Male

Hairstyle: Style 7 (Dark Brown)

God Arc: Ice Drill (Short Blade), Apega Blaze (Sniper Rifle), Kurogane Tower (Shield)

Blood Art: Blood Cascade II

I follow Ciel to the helicopter. I try to ignore the pain in my heart and focus on where I am moving. My eyesight is still blurry so I pay close attention to every movement Ciel makes and mimic them. This helps me navigate my way to the helicopter and into it but it doesn't help once I am inside it. I can't tell where the seats are so, again, look to Ciel and try to sit directly opposite her. However, I land painfully on the floor.

"Ow!"

"Are you all right?" Ciel asks me with a humoured smile on her face. She found my landing on the floor funny but managed not to burst into laughter. After a little groan i answer her,

"Yeah." I feel around for the seat and pull myself onto it. A couple of seconds later, the helicopter lifts off of the ground and starts heading in the direction of the Den.

When we arrive, I allow Ciel to jump off of the helicopter first. That way, I can follow behind her so I can avoid falling into or over something. I leave the helicopter as well and do just that.

"Are you coming, Cedrick?" She speaks in a confused tone, expecting me to walk alongside her.

"Yeah, yeah. You lead the way, Ciel." I think of something quick to make her not suspect anything but what I am worried about, is what she is doing next.

"So, what will you be doing for the rest of the day?" I ask her with a nervous smile on my face. The only reason I am asking this is because I will need to use the lift to get the Infirmary floor. If I use the stairs then there is more chance of my falling and injuring myself. After all, I can't see clearly right now.

"Well, due to our most recent discovery, I have decided to see what types of bullets we can amalgamate. Therefore I will be spending numerous hours in the training room; using the bullet editor and trying them out." I let out a sigh of relief. She will be in the training room for a while. To access that room, you will need to go past the Infirmary. So I'll be able to get off at that point. However, she may find it suspicious that I will be getting off at that floor. Ah, I'll tell her that I suffered a few scrapes! I'll need to get them checked out! Yeah, that sounds like a good excuse!

When the time for using that excuse came, I could tell that she didn't believe me but she didn't say a word on the matter. Something for which I was thankful for. I gave her my valedictions and headed to the Infirmary, using the walls to support my movements. A few minutes, stumbles, and wall scaling later, I arrive at the Infirmary. Of course, I couldn't tell it was the infirmary, I am just judging by the smell. There is a strong scent of antibacterial wash and where would you see these? In bathrooms and Infirmaries. I enter the room.

"Sorry, but you are not supposed to be in here." I hear somebody speak and it sounds familiar. It's definitely voice I have heard but I can't remember who it belongs to.

"Oh no, you have it all wrong." I speak quickly, putting my hands up and shaking them as well. "I've been having trouble with my eyesight recently and I have came here to see if the staff have any idea what the problem is." I don't know if the person that was speaking to me is a part of the staff or if they are a patient. This person's voice was high pitched leading me to believe that they are female.

"Oh. Well uh, the rest of the doctors are out so... I can help you!" She sounded excited.

"Great, well, shall we get started?" I was nervous. This person didn't sound very experienced.

"Yeah, of course! So, why don't you tell me what the problem is?" I must admit that her voice is

"Well, like I said earlier, I'm having sight problems. Even right now, everything I see is blurry. Even when I was on my mission a short while ago." I inform her of my symptoms.

"That is very dangerous!" She scolded me. I didn't have time to react before she started speaking again. "We have some eye test equipment here... Okay," She grabs a hold of my shoulders, "just follow me to your seat and we'll see if we can give you an eye test." She directs me to a seat a couple of metres in front of where I was originally standing. As she sits me down, I try to make out who this person is. All I can see is that the person is fond of the colour pink.

"Now, let's see where the equipment is." She spoke and left me as she began moving around the room.

After another five minutes of moving equipment around, she finally starts the eye test.

"Okay, now, can you rest your head on the headrest in front of you. The upper white band should rest against your forehead." She instructs me but there is just one problem.

"What machine?"

"Oh, yeah." I hear movement before the woman grabs my head and puts it into, what I assume to be, the headrest.

"Okay, let's get started." I can hear the machine moving with heavy clunks. It was obvious that this machine has not been used recently. The machine moves so that my right eye can look through it directly.

"Now, you should see a hot air balloon in a clear background." She tells me and indeed I can. A not-so-clear image of a red hot air balloon in what looks to be a desert.

"Keep looking at the hot air balloon." She instructs me and I do just that. Suddenly, I see numerous flashes which gives me a little shock.

"Don't be scared. The machine is just taking photographs of the back of your eye." She instructs again. Maybe I was wrong to think she was inexperienced; she definitely sounds as though she has done this a number of times. The sudden noise of the machine moving brings me out of my thoughts.

"Okay, now we're going to take photographs of your let eye. Again, you should see an image of a hot air balloon." She gives more instructions as the same process is repeated for my left eye. This time though, I was not able to see the hot air balloon very clearly.

After that test, the woman directed me to do another similar test but this time there was a different image.

"Okay. That should just about do it for now." The woman speaks in a professional manner but another sound of something banging on the desk is heard. I assume this to be the woman straightening out some papers. Possibly with the photographs of my eyes, only she knows.

"I'll guide you to the bed." She gets up from her chair and, grabbing my shoulders, guides me to my bed. "You are not to move from this spot until I analyse these results. Am I understood?" She demanded with a tone of voice that told me that I would be wise to follow orders. I gave her a simple nod of my head in confirmation.

"Well, I'll leave you here so I can analyse these photographs." She leaves me in the Infirmary by myself where all I can do is to stay on the bed and look around the room.

After an hour of daydreaming, I suddenly feel my vision return to me. It was something so sudden that I was able to pinpoint the exact way it happened. The blurriness that I had previously seen had suddenly vanished. It wasn't a moment too soon either as a group of people entered the Infirmary. I was beginning to panic that it was the medical staff, or even that woman preparing to give me bad news. Instead, it was worse.

"Vice Captain? What are you doing in here?" Julius spoke as him and the rest of Blood surrounded my bedside. I was panicking but I was able to give a plausible answer.

"Just a routine check up. There's no need to panic." It's quite ironic that I was telling them to not panic whilst I was doing exactly that. I looked to their faces. The more naive of the group, Nana and Romeo, seemed to believe it. The others though, well, let's just say that I wish they were naive too.

"Check ups? When did they start doing that? In all my years as a God Eater I have never had a regular check up." Gilbert speaks up with an incredulous tone. He makes the naive ones realise the same thing, although they don't have the experience that he does.

"Oh, um, quite recently actually. So I am the first of us to have a check up?" I spoke any words that I could think of in the hopes that it would form a coherent sentence. The odds weren't in my favour but I managed to pull it off.

"You must be. You must feel honoured." Julius speaks with a smile, I had gotten him to believe my tripe and if he believes it then a few of the others should as well.

"I wonder when it will be my turn for a check up." Romeo seemed to be daydreaming.

"That is so cool!" Nana was as naive as ever. It would be irregular to see her not being naive.

"Well, I hope my check up isn't soon. I'm a bit busy with improvements to God Arcs." Gilbert speaks, it seems he also believes me! Ah, I can relax now.

"You'll have to let me get in on that, Gil. Let me know if you need my help for anything.

"Yeah, I-"

"Wait, wouldn't there be an announcement for something like check ups to take place?" Ciel interrupted the change of topic and I was beginning to panic again.

"Hey, yeah! There's usually an announcement for those sorts of things." Ciel had infected Nana with logic and I was starting to hate it.

"Oh, they never bothered with an announcement since I was already in the infirmary anyway." Another good excuse if I do say so myself.

"Why were you in here then?" Ciel doesn't want to drop the subject. She is worried for me and this is exactly what I was trying to avoid. I don't like worrying people so this situation isn't exactly the best one.

"Erm, sorry I am late." The female voice from earlier spoke as the owner came through the door. "I was having trouble analysing your eye test results so I..." She trails off as she turns around and notices my visitors. I take the chance to look over her appearance. The girl has long, pink hair which is put into a ponytail as well as a Green Fenrir Medic dress. She is quite the looker. I look for a few more seconds and realise that this is the woman that Haruomi was telling me about on the first day we met. Damn it. I don't even know her name.

"Hi Kanon." Ciel speaks in a high, friendly voice before returning to me, "What does she mean by eye test results?" She asks and, amongst the worry, I think I can hear a tone that says, 'I dare you to give me the wrong answer'. It's the first time she has given me this threatening tone of voice and I don't think I like it.

"Hey, yeah!" Nana looks towards me with a less severe look than the one that Ciel is giving me.

"All right everybody, settle down." Someone makes themselves heard by speaking slightly louder. We look to the newcomer that moves by Kanon and to my bedside as well. The few people that were standing in the way of my bedside moves to let the person and Kanon through. As the person approaches the bedside, I see that the person is none other than the Far East's Director, Paylor Sakaki. My results must be pretty bad if he had to get involved. He doesn't look very happy either.

"Director Sakaki. To what do we owe the pleasure." Ciel's voice has completely lost the threatening tone that she had when addressing me but the worry was still evident.

"You owe your Vice Captain the pleasure of seeing me here." I wonder what Sakaki means by that.

"Cedrick, would you mind if I tell them of your test results as well as you." With no difference in facial features, I find it hard to see what emotion he is expressing.

"Well, they'll need an explanation of why I am here first." I had given up at this point. My fellow team members wanted to know why I was in here anyway.

"Kanon mentioned something about eye test results. What would you need them for?" Ciel, being what I believe to be the smartest one in the group, spoke and she is still worried.

"So this isn't about a check up?" Romeo got a thump on his head courtesy of Gilbert for that one.

"Of course, Cedrick." Sakaki speaks to me before turning to the rest of the group, "Kanon has told me that your Vice Captain came, almost stumbling, into the infirmary and requested for an eye test as he has been having trouble with his eyesight lately. He informed me that, even when he was speaking to her at the time, his eyesight was blurred. In fact, it was even blurred on an earlier mission."

"Really? I had no idea." Ciel spoke, being the one who went on my only missions today. "You should have told me about your condition." It sounded as though she was trying to scold me but the worry in her voice was what told me otherwise.

"I didn't want to make you worry. After all, this could just have been blown all out of proportion. There's probably a simple explanation, right Kanon?"

"Wha?" She was surprised that I suddenly dragged her into the conversation, "Er... Well... You see..."

"I'm afraid that the explanation isn't simple, Cedrick. Kanon brought the results of the eye test to me and I also ran through them. She made no mistake in declaring that you have a rare condition." I could feel my heart drop into my stomach as Sakaki was telling me this. I'm sure my friends also didn't like the sound of this.

"Your left eye has severe inflammation. It is affecting your eyesight not only in your left eye but your right eye as well. If we leave your eye as it is, you will soon be completely blind." That was a real shock to the system. I could be blind? How the hell would I fight Aragami then? No, I wouldn't be fighting Aragami would I? But that means that my friends would have to fight without me there to protect them. They may not need it, but I'd still like the option to protect them! That won't happen if I can't even fight Aragami though. I could feel my head sink into my chest due to my thoughts.

"However," The Director's sudden change in tone brought me back to reality, "There is still a way to save your eyesight."

"There is?!" I asked in a loud voice. "What ever it is, I'll do it!" I would need to have y eyesight so I can continue fighting Aragami. While it may be possible to fight Aragami without my eyesight it would be incredibly difficult. Even the weakest of Aragami would give me trouble, like the Ogretails for the simulation.

"You would have to undergo a procedure called enucleation." I ignored the sudden gasp from Ciel and continued listening intently to the Director. "The procedure isn't too long. It takes between 60 and 90 minutes to do."

"I'll do it!"

"Cedrick, do you know what happens in this procedure?" Ciel asks me with the worry in her voice growing even more. It had gotten to the point where Nana had decided to stand very close to Ciel just in case her emotions explode.

"Not a clue, but if it can save my eyesight, I'll do it! I want to be out on the battlefield so I can protect my friends. It will be a lot more difficult to do that if I don't have my eyesight." I turn to Sakaki, "I'll do it! When do we get started?" I ask. The longer we speak here, the more inflamed my eye will become.

"Cedrick," I hear Kanon's small voice. "If it is any consolation, you should know that you're not the only God Eater to undergo this procedure. My friend, Gina, also had to undergo the procedure. That's why she always wears a large eye patch on her head.

"I still don't even know what the procedure is." Romeo speaks up and Nana voices her agreement with him.

"How bad can it be, right?" I notice the silence of Julius and Gilbert but don't comment on it. I admit that I don't know what the procedure is either.

"Cedrick will need to have his left eye removed from its socket so that his vision can be restored. Although, not from his left eye. There will be no way to put the eye back into the socket once it has been removed because of its inflammation." Sakaki's words ring in my head. I would need to have my eye removed...


	21. Chapter 21 - Operation (Short Chapter)

Chapter 21

DISCLAIMER: I DO NOT OWN THE GOD EATER FRANCHISE HOWEVER I DO OWN MY OC.

Name: Cedrick Esparza

Gender: Male

Hairstyle: Style 7 (Dark Brown)

God Arc: Ice Drill (Short Blade), Apega Blaze (Sniper Rifle), Kurogane Tower (Shield)

Blood Art: Blood Cascade II

A few hours have passed since I was told of my eye's fate. I had agreed to the operation, of course. If I was able to save the vision in my right eye by removing the other then I would be able to continue working as a God Eater. Continue being able to protect my friends. I wouldn't be able to do that if I was blind. In fact, they would be the ones to protect me but as the Vice Captain, I have a duty to protect my team mates. Speaking of which, they have since left the room to undergo a mission regarding the satellite bases. I am quite thankful that Satsuki informed them of this mission as it means they won't need to stick around for my operation and, hopefully, it won't take long...

As the Doctor sets up the equipment I begin to have second thoughts about this whole procedure. After all, I will be missing an eye. It won't be too pleasant to look at either. Maybe I should take a page out of Gina's book and cover it with an eye patch. Yeah, that should work. Nobody will need to see my eye then. I stare at the ceiling as I wait for the doctor to prepare. I was told that Sakaki could not do the operation as he had a lot of other important things to do. So, he told me that a different doctor will be executing the operation.

"It shouldn't be too much longer." The doctor speaks in a cheerful tone that I have come accustom to since she has been here. She must be either really confident or she is trying to mask something. Maybe she is inexperienced? Nah, that couldn't possibly be it. She sounds as though she has done this sort of operation before and she seems able to set up the equipment properly.

"I wouldn't worry about it, Cedrick." I turn to the other side as her temporary assistant, Kanon, speaks up. Apparently, this operation needs at least two people to be present and the other staff are nowhere to be found. So Kanon is her temporary assistant. I feel at ease that somebody that I know is here with me. Even though her job is not to play the comforting role. "I mean, Ms. Caldwell is fully trained to be a doctor." Kanon informs me with a relaxing smile. Speaking of the Doctor, I take in her features as she equips me with a gas mask which is hooked up to the anaesthesia. She isn't the best looking woman in the world, what with an unsymmetrical face and weird rainbow-coloured hair, but she looks as though she is kind.

"Of course I am. They'd never let me become a Doctor otherwise." I see the Doctor's hand turn the handle to the anaesthesia and I can feel my breathing becoming slower and calmer. Until,

"Even if this is my first time conducting an operation such as this." The Doctor's comment made my heart leap into my throat as I really didn't want somebody inexperienced doing this operation. I couldn't retort though, the anaesthesia was beginning to take affect.

"You shouldn't have said that." I hear Kanon say with a displeased sigh. I suspect that she must have saw me attempting to writhe out of this operation. Her words were the final words I heard before sleep overtook me.

I was aware that I was still asleep as I watched memories of my past unfold before my very eyes. Leading from my first permanently scarred memory of my parents' death to my recent interactions with Ciel. It wasn't until midway though the memories that I began to experience a pain behind my left eye. It wasn't a searing pain, at least for now. Who knows how badly it will really be hurting considering that my dream self can feel the pain behind a whole load of anaesthesia. I'm going to have to have a talk with that doctor about reassuring people. Clearly, she needs lessons in doing so. If she hadn't said that this operation was the first of its kind then I would have suspected this pain to be normal but all I can think about is if she has messed up.

Later, I wake up and my eyes look towards the ceiling. Or should I say, my single eye looks towards the ceiling. I extend my left hand towards my left eye and feel something plastic in the position that my eye would have been in.

"It's common procedure for these types of operations to replace the eye with a synthetic one. Unfortunately, that plastic eye will have to do." Kanon speaks from within the infirmary. I look around and notice that the doctor doesn't appear to have stuck around.

"Where did Ms. Caldwell go?" I ask in confusion.

"She had somewhere else she needed to be. She isn't employed by the Far East Branch and so she has to travel to other branches looking for work." Kanon responded as if she had rehearsed her answer. Did she suspect that I would ask that question?

"Your operation went well. I just wish that Ms. Caldwell never mentioned that it was her first time doing an operation like this." She seemed annoyed at her co-worker's comments.

"Can I have a mirror?" I needed to see how this new eye looked. Kanon gave me a yes as an answer before handing me a mirror which was located to the side of the hospital bed. As I peer into the mirror, I see someone else staring back at me. It was obvious to see which one was my real eye as, in comparison with the fake eye, it was colourful and the features of it were clear to see. The fake eye, though, appears to be just a white ball. It wasn't anything like what I was expecting. I thought that the fake eye would at least have a few features like an iris but no. It looked just like a table tennis ball, small and white. I felt the urge to cry. My eye had been replaced with a table tennis ball, or something that looked very much like it anyway. Removing my eye may have saved my vision but it was definitely at a big cost. I will cover this fake eye at all times with an eye patch. I don't ever want to see this eye again. It makes me feel like I'm not human, like a cyborg or a robot. I am now missing a part of me that I will never get back. I don't want anyone else to see this eye either. I need an eye patch as soon as possible.


	22. Chapter 22

Chapter 22

DISCLAIMER: I DO NOT OWN THE GOD EATER FRANCHISE HOWEVER I DO OWN MY OC.

Name: Cedrick Esparza

Gender: Male

Hairstyle: Style 7 (Dark Brown)

God Arc: Ice Drill (Short Blade), Apega Blaze (Sniper Rifle), Kurogane Tower (Shield)

Blood Art: Blood Cascade II

By the time I was released from the infirmary, it was really quite late. Ever since I realised just how bad my fake eye is, I had decided to keep it shut until I could come buy an eye patch. So, with this in mind, I headed straight towards the shop keeper that I had noticed not too long ago who sets his 'shop' up not even three metres away from the mission desk. I was inwardly hoping that I didn't run into anybody as I would hate for them to ask why I have my left eye closed.

I didn't run into anybody, thank the heavens, which meant that I was able to buy my eye patch and head straight for my room. The eye patch is bigger than I thought it would be. It is about 10cm width-wise which, when worn, covers up the entirety of my eye as well as part of my forehead and quite a bit of hair. It will do a great job, and better yet, Kanon gave me the idea of an eye patch whilst my Blood unit were visiting me in the infirmary so they won't complain. Hopefully. Upon reaching my room, I changed into more appropriate attire and headed to my bed. I attempted sleep but the faint pain in the my left eye muscles doesn't allow me to. The pain only progresses as the night continues. I do, however, manage to get to sleep during the small time frame that my eye ceases to hurt.

Waking up the next day, the pain I had felt the previous night had disappeared. I went to the bathroom to check my eye in the mirror. I removed my eye patch and moved the skin around my fake eye to check for anything that shouldn't be there; blood for example. I couldn't find anything and so, continued my morning routine. Getting dressed, brushing my teeth and the likes. I also checked my emails and found that I had three new ones.

 _Subject: Satellite Mailing List (Romeo)_

 _I made up a mailing list so we could share info on our efforts to help the satellite bases!_

I stop reading as I wonder if I was even made aware that we would be helping the satellite bases. I can't even remember what they are.

 _Its members are all of Blood plus Yuno and Satsuki. Julius is currently negotiating all sorts of things, but I've told him to keep us updated here. Feel free to mail like crazy! Let's do what we can to help those satellite bases out!_

I will need to speak to Blood about this at some point, I honestly can't remember if I was informed about the satellite bases or not. I have had a viable excuse to forget, what with me now being an eye down. Regardless, I look to the next email.

 _Subject: Satellite Mailing List (Julius)_

So Julius sent a reply then? I wonder what type of stuff he negotiated.

 _I wanted to share our initiatives with all of you._

 _-Black Plague patient checkups: Nearly confirmed_

 _-Food supply support: Scheduled_

 _-Supplies for building/reinforcement: Negotiating_

 _The Far East Branch has graciously offered their full support of the satellite bases. Dr. Rachel of Friar has also pushed for more supplies to be sent to you. I'll let you know if I hear anything else. If you have any questions, please ask me directly._

It seems that Julius doesn't like using emails. Either that or he prefers to explain in person. I'll probably ask him about what is going on. I can understand that we will be helping the satellite bases but I don't know what they are. I look to the third email and find it to be a thank you email from Yuno. I feel bad that I haven't done anything now, considering she thanked me for no reason. I suppose that she could just be talking about the rest of Blood but I don't think Yuno is like that. She more than likely meant to thank all of us rather than forgetting the one person hasn't done anything... Yet. Once I have finished preparing for the day, I set out to find a member of my unit.

As luck would have it, standing in Blood's Quarters I happen to see Ciel sitting down with a notepad of sorts. I walk over to her and take a seat beside her.

"Hi Ciel." I greet her happily. It feels good to be out of the infirmary and I'm sure that she is glad I am out as well, so it comes as a bit of a surprise when she replies with no emotion.

"Esparza" She didn't even look up at me to greet me and the fact that she used my surname, not my forename or rank as she usually does so only serves to make me wonder that I have did something wrong.

"Do you think you can fill me in about the satellite bases? I'm kinda confused. I don;t remember if I was told about them before." It is at this point that I hear a door open and see Romeo emerge from it. He looks as though he has just woken up and so I assume he will be completing his morning routine.

"You've received the emails, you can figure it for yourself." She says emotionlessly although I can tell just by her attitude that she is angry. I don't know why though.

"Ciel, is-" I attempt to address it but she quickly gets up from her seat and speaks something about needing to be somewhere before leaving Blood's Living Quarters. I give a sigh and look on in confusion as to why she left so abruptly. I knew that she was giving me an excuse just so that I didn't have to talk to her.

"What was all that about?" Romeo, whose presence I had forgotten, asks me as he walks closer to me so that he is standing in front of me.

"I have no idea. I'll ask her the next time I see her." I speak dejectedly.

"You know, she's been like that since yesterday. Did something happen between the two of you?" I am intrigued at this new information. Has she been acting like this around everyone? Then I think about his question. I don't think anything had happened yesterday. We did spend a lot of time together yesterday though and she was perfectly fine.

"When did she start acting like that exactly? I mean, I spent most of yesterday with her and she seemed fine." Romeo assumes a thinking position as he ponders over his answer.

"Well, I noticed it when we were given a tour of the satellite bases." It;s not much to go on, seeing as how that is only when he noticed it, but something else about his answer intrigued me.

"I was trying to ask Ciel to fill me in about the satellite bases and you heard the answer I got. Do you think you can fill me in about them?" I change the subject to the satellite bases as I don't think he would be any more help in figuring out what was up with Ciel but he could tell me about the satellite bases. Something which he is more than happy to do.

It was about half an hour later by the time Romeo told me everything he knew about the satellite bases. I also heard about their little tour yesterday and how w will be expected to go on a mission later today to eradicate and nearby Aragami that could threaten the bases. We went our separate ways after he told me this. He still had to get ready for today and I want to know more about this mission and what happened with Ciel. I decide to see about the mission first and head to the mission counter by going down the lift until I reach the required floor. After all, I will need to prepare for this mission by adapting my Arc to suit the mission needs, right?

As I leave the lift, I walk to the mission counter and find Hibari standing behind it, looking at the computer.

"Hi, Hibari." I greet her with a smile to which she turns to me with a smile as she greets me.

"Hi, Cedrick." I see her smile falter at the sight of me which I can only assume is to the large eye patch I now have on my head.

"So, do you like it?" Her attention was obviously drawn to my eye patch, I assume she knows why I have it if her smile had faltered.

"It will take a while to get used to. You know, you should probably let your hair grow out." Clearly she didn't like to see the patch but there is nothing I can do about it at the minute.

"So is there a mission for me?" I tell her my intention for visiting her.

"Not at the minute, no. I was told that, if I had seen you, you should visit Director Sakaki." I find myself a bit surprised at this information but give my thanks to Hibari and proceed back into the lift and head to the Director's Office.

As I enter the office, I find myself feeling surprised at the fact that Ciel and Julius are also in the office. The latter of which notices me and greets me with a smile before turning back to the Director. Ciel, on the other hand, doesn't even look in my direction.

"Ah, perfect. You're here. First things first, how are you? Are you suffering any phantom pain?" Director Sakaki asks me with a smile

"I was late last night; couldn't get to sleep because of it but I feel fine now." I notice that Ciel had glanced in my direction as I spoke about the pain I had suffered. I couldn't identify the look on her face though as, as soon as she noticed that I noticed her looking at me, she turned away.

"I'm sure that is normal, right Director?" Julius speaks up with a rare show of worry on his face.

"Of course it is, but if it ever gets any worse, don't hesitate to tell me. Now, moving on to the reason why I called you here. We have received reports of numerous sightings of Aragami in the area. I would like the Blood Unit to take care of these Aragami."

"That shouldn't be a problem." Julius speaks up, the worry on his face being replaced after the worry was quelled. "What Aragami have bee sighted?"

"There was a report of Cocoon Maidens and Zygotes in the Abandoned City...

I'd like the Blood Unit to eliminate these Aragami as soon as possible."

"I see, consecutive missions? Will there be a place to relax after each one?" Julius asks with a thinking pose.

"Of course, we will provide a place for you to relax for a few minutes to get yourselves sorted for the next mission and to make any necessary changes to your God Arcs." Sakaki announces and I smile that we will be able to have a little rest between missions no matter how short the rest is.

"This will be our first time completing consecutive missions. I think that we had best prepare well in advance for them." Ciel speaks up. What I find surprising is that I can hear concern in her voice considering that she has been acting rather cold for a while now.

"Well, I'll be leaving to prepare now then. I will meet you at the helicopter in 15 minutes?" I am not sure whether they will be ready in that time but at least they know to meet us up there.

"Shouldn't we have a fourth member in these missions?" Ciel asks, still showing a bit of worry. I wonder if she thinks that she can't hack it.

"Yeah, you're right. I'll go and find another member and tell them of the plan." I speak up whilst holding a hand to my chin.

"Okay then, we'll leave the recruitment of a fourth member to you, Vice Captain." Julius speaks up and I take this as my cue to leave. I give them a "see you later" and head back to Blood's Living Quarters.

Walking back to the Living Quarters, I ponder over whom I should enlist as the fourth member. I have the option of Romeo, Gilbert or Nana but which one would be better suited for the mission. I could choose Gilbert who is the most experienced of the three, Romeo who is more experienced in Blood and knows how to lighten a mood, or Nana who is... Nana; the unique individual of Blood. I may raise the topic of Ciel's change in attitude so someone to lighten the mood would probably be preferred. Both Nana and Romeo could do that though. I haven't been on a mission with Nana in quite some time. Maybe she would be a better option so that I can keep close with all members of Blood. I am the Vice Captain after all and I was put in charge of making sure that we all got along. It wouldn't look very good if I didn't get along with a member. Romeo, on the other hand, is very enthusiastic about helping out the satellite bases and would be grateful for the opportunity to boast to Yuno about all that he has accomplished for the bases. That would definitely make sure that I am on his good side. Maybe I should choose him. A few minutes later, I make my decision and head towards the person's room..


	23. Chapter 23

Chapter 23

DISCLAIMER: I DO NOT OWN THE GOD EATER FRANCHISE HOWEVER I DO OWN MY OC.

Name: Cedrick Esparza

Gender: Male

Hairstyle: Style 7 (Dark Brown)

God Arc: Ice Drill (Short Blade), Apega Blaze (Sniper Rifle), Kurogane Tower (Shield)

Blood Art: Blood Cascade II

"So where's our fourth member?" Ciel asks impatiently from the other side of the helicopter. After I had told the person in question of our mission, I left to get my Arc and prepare for the mission. I had made sure to stack up on restore pills, O-Ampules and traps before heading up to the rooftop and walking towards our allocated helicopter where I met Julius already waiting. We did have a small chat while we waited for our other members which mainly included him worrying about my eye. I must admit, I didn't think the Captain of Blood was one that would pester me about my personal health. When we weren't talking about my fake eye I was thinking about how to bring up the subject of Ciel's mood with her and when I should bring it up. I mean, the only reason I can think of that she would be upset with me is because I didn't tell her about my eye, but that was just because I didn't want her to worry. Surely she understands that, right? Anyway, a few minutes later, Ciel had joined us and had seated herself across from Julius seeing as how he had decided to sit next to me. It was another five minutes before she asked the question.

"Probably getting dressed. I had uh..." I remember the meeting with our fourth member and instantly trail off as I do. It was quite an embarrassing situation, for the both of us. My cheeks redden at the thought of it. "You know what, never mind. It's not important." I try to calm myself down by looking out of the window helicopter window, hoping that the fourth member would hurry up so that we can stop this discussion. "The mission was, kinda unexpected for them." As I try to explain the situation, I definitely feel the stare of Ciel directed at me. I continue looking out of the window in an attempt to ignore it.

Thankfully though, it isn't long before my I spot our team mate getting leaving the lift and running over to the helicopter. Dressed in their usual attire of a very short, white tube top with the left side being attached to a belt like strap along their neck, as well as a short pink hoodie. The person in description jumps into the helicopter and closes the helicopter door. Upon hearing the door close, the helicopter began ascending.

"Hey, Nana." I greet her nervously, the events of this morning still fresh on my mind, shortly followed by the other two greeting her.

"H-Hey, Cedrick. Hi, guys." She greets me nervously before resuming her usual mood with the greeting to Ciel and Julius. She sits next to Ciel as it is the only seat left. Going back to the greeting though, I'm sure that the others noticed the nervous greeting that she gave me compared to the cheery greeting given to them. I know that Julius isn't the type to comment on it, but with Ciel's current mood, I think that she will want to talk to either Nana or me about it. Probably Nana to be honest. Ciel doesn't seem very pleased with me at the moment but it could give us the chance to talk.

"So, what's the plan?" She asks us, her nerves having seemingly disappeared.

"Well, first on the agenda is to take care of a small herd of Aragami in the Abandoned City." Julius informs her in his commanding role.

"This herd consists of five Cocoon Maidens and five Zygotes. I recommend we make a plan in order to defeat such an amount of Aragami." Ciel logically chips in.

"You're right. We can't just charge in recklessly. Do you have any suggestions, Ciel?" Julius really suits the leader role. He listens to all of his team and isn't afraid of telling people when they're right or wrong. Exactly like the time back on Friar when he argued with the Director about the safety of Blood during the mission of escorting the God Arc Soldiers.

"How about we split up? There are ten Aragami in total, that gives us about two Aragami to kill each. We'll also be less tired that way when we travel to our next mission's destination." I pitch an idea and it is received positively. With the plan in motion, we continue making small talk. Ciel doesn't though, I'm sure that this has brought the attention of Julius and Nana. I hope it has anyway.

"Okay Blood, we will split up from here. Nana, you take area D. Cedrick, you take area C. Ciel, take B and I will take A. We shouldn't have any problems if we each take on two Aragami." Julius scans our faces for any kind of response as we continue looking at him.

"Are there any questions?" I asks to voice his questioning gaze.

"What about the other two Aragami? If we each take on two the isn't there like, two left?" Nana speaks, bouncing on her feet as the excitement of a mission gives her a killing thrill. There's no doubt that if she didn't have that question, she'd already be running towards her next target.

"Good question, Nana. There may be more than two Aragami in the area you are in. There may be less than two. I'm sure you can use your better judgement to decide what to do." Julius speaks before asking if there are anymore questions. When nobody speaks up, that is when he decided to split us up as we all head in our designated areas.

I stealthily walk up one of the two ways to reach area C, hoping that I won't have too many to deal with. I walk over a bridge that connects me to a higher ledge and can hear a distinct Aragami cry. Considering that Cocoon Maidens don't have a cry and that the mission states that Zygotes will be accompanying them, I can safely assume that there is at least one Zygote in the area.

I walk for another minute or so before I see my targets; two Zygotes and two Cocoon Maidens and stop straight in my tracks.

"I guess this means that the others have two each." I whisper to myself before pondering over my next move. If we consider area C to be a rectangle, there are two places which harbours almost six foot high grass. These are the lower left area of the rectangle which stretches to about 15 metres and the other patch is in the lower right area which spans to about 25 metres. In these patches of grass hides the two Cocoon Maidens. The Zygotes are roaming the area between the comes the time for planning. This would have been so much easier if there was just two Aragami to take care of. Now, what attacks can a Cocoon Maiden use. I assume a thinking position but continue to observe the Aragami near me. I reflect on my memories as I remember what attacks a Cocoon Maiden can use; I'm pretty sure they can release their spears in a front-wise motion as well as an circular motion. There is enough of a difference in execution of these moves to know when which is happening. It also has a long range attack where it fire an orb at a person. In comparison, Zygotes have attacks of poison gas and a wild charge. That's it right? Now what Aragami should I kill first...

It take a bit of pondering before I realised that, with the cover of the tall grass, I should be able to kill the Cocoon Maidens with relative ease and then be able to fight the Zygotes afterwards. With my plan set in motion, I skulk over to the closest Cocoon Maiden which happens to be in the lower right area. Making sure to make as little noise as possible as my feet drag against the ground, my Arc sweeps against the grass and me having to manoeuvre my way through the thick grass, I head towards the Aragami. I notice that this Cocoon Maiden is yellow in colouration. It would have been easier to kill if it was red in colouration, and thus a Blaze type that my Freeze type Arc could kill easily, but at least it isn't resistant against it. I assume it is only resist to Divine and Spark attacks with it being a Spark type Aragami. I continue stealthily moving, making sure to keep my head below the six feet grass level. Three metres... Two metres... One metre... Attack! With a swipe of my Arc against the hard skin of the Aragami, I have initiated the beginning of our battle, and I have the upper hand. I slash it again and make sure to sidestep after every attack, preventing it from facing me directly and possibly releasing its spikes in my direction.

Not even a minute later, I deliver the final blow and it slumps in defeat. I extract its core before observing the situation again. Since the last time, one of the Zygotes have moved to the other patch of grass which leaves me at a dilemma. Do I continue on my original plan to kill the Cocoon Maidens first or do I kill one of the Zygotes now that its friend has decided to accompany the Cocoon Maiden?

I decide to stick to my original plan. After all, Zygotes don't have much or a ranged attack unlike Cocoon Maidens. So I will either need to be incredibly vigilant or find a way to make the Zygote move. I decide to retrace my steps so that I can go back to my starting point and take another view of the area.

I look around again for anything that may help me to distract the Zygote. Which is when I see a rather decent sized rock a short distance away. I decide to switch my Arc to Gun Form and take cover within the bottom left patch of tall grass. I aim my gun at the rock and fire a low OP consuming bullet. The bullet shatters the rock and draws the attention of all of the Aragami in the area, with the two Zygotes moving over to it to check it out. I take this opportunity to quickly, but stealthily move towards the Cocoon Maiden. Within a matter of seconds, I am right behind it and, much like the first one, this one has a yellow colouration. I slash once, then twice then three times, ignoring the fact that I am not face to face with the Aragami if you can consider that to be a face. I notice its movements and see it begin to lean back, I back step immediately in response as it unsheathes its spikes in my direction. I run behind it to continue my onslaught, waiting until it faces me again before I run back behind it. This time though, the beast doesn't move backwards, it moves upwards. Luckily, I was anticipating this and quickly deploy my shield, avoiding being skewered with ease. Once the spikes return to its body, I deliver what I hadn't expected to be the final blow.

"Oh, that was easy." I whisper to myself before extracting its core. Again, I look to observe the situation again. To my surprise, I see that Ciel had already killed one of the Zygotes and looks to be finishing off the other. She releases a Blaze Blood Bullet from her gun and it pierces the Aragami, finishing it off. With the immediate danger gone, she relaxes and I decide to reveal myself from within the grass. I don't care about the noise I am making seeing as how the Aragami have been defeated. Ciel mustn't have thought the same thing though as the moment my foot emerges from the grass, I feel a sharp pain to my abdomen.


	24. Chapter 24

Chapter 24

DISCLAIMER: I DO NOT OWN THE GOD EATER FRANCHISE HOWEVER I DO OWN MY OC.

Name: Cedrick Esparza

Gender: Male

Hairstyle: Style 7 (Dark Brown)

God Arc: Ice Drill (Short Blade), Apega Blaze (Sniper Rifle), Kurogane Tower (Shield)

Blood Art: Blood Cascade II

The bullet pushes me off of my feet with a surprised yelp and everything moves in slow motion as I fall to the ground. I hear Ciel worriedly call my name and hear the sound of her feet hitting against the ground in a faster motion than a walk. I deduce she is running over to me but unless she can run faster than gravity, she won't make it in time. My head is thrown back and I can see the crystal clearness of the sky above. Not a cloud can be seen, allowing for a beautiful blue sky to shimmer as what could be the last time I see it. The sun's rays seem to have increased in heat as I feel a lot hotter than I should do. I hear Ciel shout my name again and my life as a God Eater flashes before my eyes. The day I became a God Eater where I met Dr. Rachel and how angelic she was, praying to an image of a saint on a stain glass window. All that was missing was an angelic chorus. I still remember the first words I heard from her,

"The Restless God sings, my child, at the rise of a new mythology. Such a sweet symphony. And its prelude shall begin with thee." It was such a sweet, angelic voice. One that I didn't think was possible in this fight-for-survival world. Then from Dr. Rachel to Nana on the same day who had also just joined Blood Special Forces.

"Hey there! So you've just become a God Eater too?!" Her friendly greeting was just what I needed to ease my nervousness at the time. I had no idea that we would become good friends like we are now. Remembering Nana makes me remember the earlier events of today and I feel my temperature increase again. I remember hearing Julius' voice during my training drill who I would meet later in the day. My first impression of him was that he would be a ruthless Captain who would only care about his own safety. I was very wrong. He proved me wrong many times but the main time was his response to Friar's Director as I went to rescue Ciel during the Red Rain,

"Whatever you do, Ciel. Stay out of the rain!" Julius had valued his team mate's life over the transporting of the God Arc Soldier, our mission at the time. Speaking of Ciel, I can remember her exact words that told me that she was giving up,

"Captain, I apologise. I cannot obey you. Fall back without me. You must leave me. To attempt rescue with inadequate equipment will only lead to losses." She sounded so fragile at the time, I knew she didn't really want to give up but she didn't want her team members to be affected by the Red Rain in an attempt to rescue her. We've become so close since then, even becoming best friends so it saddens me that I will be leaving her on bad terms. She will probably blame herself for my death. Despite the fact that she shot me, I know it was my fault. I should have called out to her so that she knew the rustling sound in the grass was me and not an Aragami like she likely thought. It's a real shame. I've definitely come to enjoy her company. She's really a sweet girl at heart. She can be very enthusiastic especially with the Blood Bullets. It is probably one of the reasons why I care so deeply for her.

Back in real time, I feel myself painfully fall onto the ground and hear Ciel rushing over to me.

"Cedrick, are you okay?" My eyes are shut so that I can try to ignore the pain. It seems to be working as I hardly feel any.

"Cedrick?!" I feel her hands on my abdomen before she quickly unbuttons it. I must admit I am beginning to get nervous but I reason with myself that she is just checking the damage. "I was sure I made this Blood Bullet so that if I ever hit a team mate it would heal them." She almost whispers and my eyes open in surprise before I raise a hand to my abdomen. As I feel no wound, I lift myself up into a sitting position, knocking Ciel's hands off as I do so.

"Cedrick?" Her voice having lost the worry from before and now containing just confusion.

"I guess it must have just been the shock of being shot." I run my head sheepishly and anticipate for some kind of berating from the girl whom had most likely thought she had injured me. After all, even I thought I was injured. What I am unprepared for is the sudden hug she gives me. Not just any kind of hug either, a tight one that almost suggests that she is glad I am not hurt.

"I thought you were hurt." She whispers to me, her mouth so close to my ear that it makes me shiver from feeling her breath on it. I reciprocate the hug before replying,

"So did I. It really must have been that I was expecting to be shot so it took me by surprise." I explain to her, torturing her in the same way by whispering into her ear. She doesn't even flinch so I give up. She releases me from the hug,

"That was your own fault! You didn't even bother to tell me that it was you! If you had, i wouldn't have shot!" I guess the caring part is over as she now shouts about how it is my fault.

"I know, looking back on it, it was a stupid idea not to tell you anything as I emerged from the grass." I have the nerve to continue my sheepishness since it was my fault. My accepting of the blame satisfies her as she visibly relaxes, taking a deep breath to calm herself down before continuing the conversation.

"Why were you in the grass anyway?" She seems confused and intrigued as to why I was.

"As well as the two Zygotes you killed, there were two Cocoon Maidens. I had decided to stealthily kill them to prevent against long range attacks when I am fighting the Zygotes but you took care of that." I explain my situation. "I did have a plan but I didn't expect you to wander into this area and kill the Zygotes."

"Oh, well I had already defeated my two Aragami and decided to head this way in case there were more. I should apologise for shooting you and for ruining your plan. You definitely aren't hurt, right?" Ciel asks worriedly.

"Don't worry about it Ciel. Like I said, it was my fault. I only came off of my feet because I was shocked that I was shot. I don't feel any pain so maybe the healing aspect of your bullet worked?" My voice was rising in intonation at the end of the sentence, making it sound like a question. I attempt to quell Ciel's worry but I'm not sure if I have, or if she is just hiding it from me.

"Okay, that's good." She sighs in relief before standing up. I take her lead and stand up as well.

"Should we head back to the others?" I ask her, already knowing the answer.

"Yeah, we took down six Aragami so there are still four left." She confirms what I already knew and we begin a slow walk back but now, there's an opportunity...

"Ciel," I stop her in her traccks and take hold of her shoulders, making sure we have direct eye contact.

"What?" She is surprised by my actions but I continue forward.

"I am really sorry about what happened yesterday. I didn't want to tell you about my eye because I knew it would worry you." I tell her my reason for keeping my welfare a secret from her and hope that she can understand that. She turns her head away as soon as she realises what the topic I brought up is.

"You should have told me, I am your best friend remember?" She speaks and I think I can hear a hitch in her voice. Her tone is definitely sad. I didn't realise my welfare would have so much of an effect on her. "At least, I hope I am." She whispers, turning away from me completely and making my hands drop from her shoulders.

"You are, Ciel. It's because you are that I couldn't tell you about it. I hadn't told anyone else either." I wait for a response but don't get any. She still faces away from me.

"Do you want the truth, Ciel?" This makes her turn around, I see all sorts of emotions in her eyes ranging from hurt to anger.

"Yes, Cedrick. Please tell me the truth." She tells me in slight desperation.

"You remember our mission, where after it we had a little emotional talk about being best friends." I wait for her to nod her head before continuing, I keep looking into her eyes, moving slightly closer to her as I do. "You remember how I mainly stayed back while you did all of the fighting? I was mainly the support, you remember?" I wait again, and she nods again. "During that mission, my eyesight was very blurry. I was able to identify your figure but thought that it would be pointless to fight Aragami when my eyesight isn't very good. I stayed out of your way so that I didn't hurt you and only used healing bullets so that I didn't hit you accidentally." I move closer to her and put my hands on her shoulders again, "I did that because I didn't want to hurt you. I didn't think I would have a serious problem with my eyes but decided to get the checked out anyway. That's when I told Kanon and she ran an eye test on me. You and the rest of Blood visited me after that which is when Director Sakaki told you about my condition. When you left, the operation began." My left hand leaves her shoulder and tugs at my eye patch. "It was replaced with this." I push my eye patch up to show her my fake eye. She looks at it for a while before I talk again. From the look on her face, I already know what she thinks about it.

"I didn't like it either so I decided to wear this eye patch." I speak before fixing it so that my fake eye is completely covered. "You understand, right?" A couple of seconds of silence goes by which seems like minutes to me before she speaks her response.

"I do, Cedrick. It will take a while to get used to the eye patch but as long as you feel like you are better off with it then it is perfectly fine with me." She sounded relieved. "And I'm sorry about my earlier attitude." She looks away shyly.

"Don't worry about it. I probably would have been the same." I dismiss her apology.

"Thanks Cedrick." She gives me her thanks. Just before we begin heading back to the others, she brings up another subject. Something I definitely wanted to avoid.

"Why were you and Nana so nervous around each other?" That was the question I didn't want to answer and I almost dropped my Arc as she asked it.

"Oh, uh, have you asked Nana about it?" I was clearly nervous. I hoped that Ciel would see this but she either doesn't or deliberately ignores it.

"I did but she was acting exactly like you are now. Did something bad happen?" She asks curiously and worriedly. I begin to ponder about how I would explain the situation to her...

Earlier...

I headed to Nana's room to ask her if she would accompany Julius, Ciel and I on these missions. Upon reaching her door, I give it a few knocks. When I hear no movement from the room I decide to shout her name.

"Nana!" Still no reply. I shout again but am met with the same response.

"Okay then, I'm coming in." I announce before opening the door and entering her room. I don't bother looking around her room as I know that a person's room is supposed to be their own private quarters. I only intend to see if she is in the room. So, looking around, I notice that she is still in her bed and walk over to it. You know, looking closely, she looks totally different from the giddy Nana I know. In fact, she looks peaceful apart from the tight grip on the bed sheet. The drool dripping from her mouth is almost comedic.

"Nana, time to get up. Mission time!" I shake her, what I've now noticed to be, bare shoulder and she rustles in her sheets, turning the other way.

"Nana!" I speak louder this time, almost annoyed at her childish tendencies. I wonder if this is what it was like when Ciel had to wake me up a while ago.

"Oden... ich" She mumbled in her sleep, only adding to the list of childish tendencies.

"Nana! Mission time!" I shake her again but more forcefully. I move back as she turns back towards me, her eyes flickering open and looking at me before she slowly sits up.

"Hi, Vice Captain." She speaks, rubbing her eyes and relinquishing her hold on her bed sheet. It falls and reveals something or rather two fairly large things. I now realise why her shoulders were bare. Nana... sleeps in her birthday suit. I'm not sure how long I have been staring but when Nana stops rubbing her eyes and follows me line of sight, she quickly pulls the covers up and ushers me out of her room. I barely have time to tell her about the mission to which she agrees to take part in. If this experience tells me one thing, it's that Nana is quite pink.

Back in the present time, I wonder about how to answer Ciel.

"Let's just say, I've found out why you shouldn't enter a girl's room whilst she's asleep." I hope this will sate her curiosity and begin walking to meet up with the others as I let her mull over my words.

The next two parts of the mission are completed without any major difficulties. The next one took place in the Wailing Plains against a few Cocoon Maidens and a Chi-You. The medium sized Aragami did make me suffer a few minor injuries but nothing that couldn't be healed with Restore Pills. With the four of us fighting against the Chi-You, it was defeated a lot quicker than I expected. After that, we were to fight against a Garm as well as a few smaller Aragami in the Abandoned City. Defeating the Garm proved quite difficult seeing as how we were all exhausted from the previous missions so it took thirty minutes to make sure we had completely wiped out the Aragami but we managed it somehow. When we arrived back at the Den, I took the time to talk to my Blood unit and discussed what I had discussed with Ciel earlier in the day; how I didn't want them to worry about me but realise that by not telling them I still made them worry. Thankfully, they forgave me. I made sure to have a private talk with Nana about what happened when I went to wake her up and made sure to apologise for that. She forgave me as long as I didn't tell anybody about what happened. After all of that though, I got some much needed rest. I wouldn't awake until the next day.


	25. Chapter 25

Chapter 25

DISCLAIMER: I DO NOT OWN THE GOD EATER FRANCHISE HOWEVER I DO OWN MY OC.

Name: Cedrick Esparza

Gender: Male

Hairstyle: Style 7 (Dark Brown)

God Arc: Ice Drill (Short Blade), Apega Blaze (Sniper Rifle), Kurogane Tower (Shield)

Blood Art: Blood Cascade II

My eyes flicker slowly as the light from the sun fills my room and almost blinds me.

"I'll never be able to sleep in late at this rate." I comment, raising an arm above my face in an attempt to block out the light. Once my arm grows tired of this I opt to turn my body around so I am lying on my stomach and the sun's warm rays hitting the back of my head. I continue to lie on my bed for a few more minutes, letting the weariness I still feel escape me as the time goes on. When I finally decide to get up from my bed, I read the time on the digital clock and find it to be 08:20. I went to the bathroom to do my business, washed my hands and stared at the mirror. I noticed that it looked quite stupid how my eye patch was over my hair and so I decided to try and get my hair to cover it up. A minute or so later, I had managed to get my eye patch under part of my hair.

(A/N: Check profile picture to see what Cedrick looks like.)

After I sort out my eye patch, I change into my clothes for today which consists of a black hoodie jumper with the Fenrir logo on the back as well as black jeans and my usual footwear.

"I better check my emails before I leave." I tell myself and walk to the terminal, logging on and opening up my emails to find I have three new ones.

 _Subject: (URGENT) Housing of black plague victims_

 _We are currently accommodating black plague victims from the satellite bases in the medical unit. Entry to certain predetermined areas is restricted._

 _Applicable Area: Parts of the Laboratory Infirmary_

 _Hibari Takeda_

It seems as though Julius' negotiations were successful; I just wonder what we, God Eaters, will need to do for check ups or injuries. I then click on the next email and find it to be from a "Yae Kiritani"

 _Subject: (Urgent) Medical facility usage notes_

 _With the admission of black plague victims, there have been several changed in schedule and location for regular medical checks. Please make sure to check your appointment tickets before your visit._

Well I guess that covers the routine check ups. Will they take place in the same place that injured God Eaters will be? Regardless, I check the next email and find that it is from the Satellite Mailing List.

 _Subject: (Cc: All) (Romeo)_

 _My first guard duty at the satellite base is done! It was a non-stop roller coaster ride of fighting and fighting and fighting. But everybody worked together to finish off all the baddies. Everyone who helped out, thank you so much! Let's keep up the great work to fight for their safety!_

It seems as though Romeo is pleased with his work. Well, I'm glad he had something to do. I feel kind of guilty for not picking him as the fourth member on the mission yesterday. Maybe I should go on a mission with him. Why not bring Gilbert as well, I don't think I've heard from him for a while. After deleting the emails, I head to the cafeteria for some much needed breakfast.

15 minutes later, I have had my fill for the morning and head to the mission desk where I find Hibari standing behind it.

"Hi Hibari." I greet her cheerfully, ignoring her glance at my, now better concealed, eye patch.

"Hey, Cedrick. Nice work on the extended mission at the satellite base yesterday! I'm relieved to see your safe return. Alisa, from the remote support unit Cradle, would like a word with you. She's in the branch director's office." Hibari informs me and I head straight there with my only thought being about why she would want to speak with me in the branch director's office.

Upon arrival in the office, I see Alisa waiting near the door for me. I take the time to go over her appearance once more as I realise that she is a fully developed woman, but that's not where I should be going with this.

"Alisa?" I speak to gain her attention. She turns around to face me, having just finished a conversation with the branch director who looks at me before returning to his work.

"It's been a long time, Vice Captain. Thank you for protecting the satellite base." I would have told her that it was no trouble as well as asking where she had been but she doesn't allow me to speak as she resumes, "You even helped take in the plague victims. Cradle should have handled it, but we had our hands full..."

"My unit did that. I just fought Aragami as usual." I admitted but, being the Vice Captain of Blood I suppose I should take some responsibility for my unit's work. At least, that's probably want Alisa thinks.

"While I've got your ear... I'd like to talk to you about something, if you could spare the time." Now this was starting to get worrying. Why would she need to ask me if I could spare time to talk if we already are. I suppose the smile on her face suggests that she isn't plotting something. I suppose it would be okay to talk.

"Yeah, sure." I speak, hiding my nerves behind a wall.

"I'm glad to hear it. Would you mind joining me in the lounge?" she asks, waiting for my response. Of course I say yes as I did say I could spare the time, although I do wonder why we need to go to the lounge to talk. I suppose it is more relaxing than the director's office and he probably has work to do... So I guess it would be easier to talk there. Upon hearing my answer, Alisa begins walking, with me in tow, to the lounge.

Once in the lounge, Alisa begins speaking from behind the counter, making us a pair of drinks.

"Allow me to introduce myself properly. I know we didn't get much of a chance before." She speaks with a smile and a hand to her chest. She gives off an air of experience as well as sophistication. "I am Corporal Alisa Ilinichina Amiella of the independent Cradle Unit. We're mostly tied to the Far East Branch. Cradle's mandate is to operate in an ever-widening circle, and protect those who live beyond official borders. Where there are problems that others ignore, it's Cradle's sworn duty to find a solution." Her tone changes as she describes Cradle's function but changes back in a matter of seconds, "Ah, totally sorry...! Please, take a seat. Join me." She offers me a seat which I take whilst she occupies the one next to me. All my worries about this being a bad conversation has left me by now. Alisa seems like she is easy to get along with and she hasn't given me any reason to suspect her of wanting to reprimand me for something I don't know. She hands one of the drinks she made to me and I give her my gratitude with a "thank you".

"I used to be a member of the Far East Branch's 1st Unit, actually." She speaks and I instantly remember the current occupants of the unit; Kota, Emil and Erina.

"It was only a few years ago, but is seems longer. After Cradle was founded, I transferred to them. I wanted to continue working as a God Eater, but... Well the politics were infuriating." Her face twists as she speaks before she realises this and relaxes. "Most recently," The smile comes back on her face in full shine, "we've been working to establish satellite bases. That's actually something I've been hoping to discuss with you." My heart drops. Have we, Blood, did something wrong? Even if we have, I suppose that we should rectify our mistake by offering our full support.

"We're happy to help."

"Thank you so much!" She speaks with a slight nod of her head with a smile that can rival that of Ciel's rare smile.

"Those psions are a grave threat to the satellite bases, but we're only a handful of people, we can't protect everyone at once." She begins getting serious again. I get where she is going with this. She wants Blood to defeat the psions as we are the only ones capable of doing so. Well I'm sure my unit will be happy to help her if that is the case.

"I know it was really quite presumptuous of me to ask for the Blood Unit's help, but..."

"Relax, Alisa. I've already said we'd help." I offer her a friendly smile to which she replies with one of her own.

"Thank you for hearing me out. Truly. Hey, I know!" Alisa suddenly has a face as if she has had a realisation. "Why don't we take on a mission together? If we're to be allies, I'd like to familiarise myself with your fighting style. So, what do you say?" She gives me a different smile as she waits for my response. It seems to have a hint of mischievousness behind it but I can't refuse it.

"Sounds like a plan."

"Excellent! I have actually received a report about a psion near the satellite bases in the Valley Of The Blue Ice. Are you ready to go now?" She asks me with the same mischievousness smile and I respond with,

"Just let me get my Arc and I'll be good to go." With that, I leave the lounge and prepare my Arc, arranging to meet Alisa on the roof in 10 minutes.

Once on the roof, we headed into a helicopter and travelled towards our destination. We had made a bit of small talk and told of our recent adventures, but now, we should focus on this adventure.

"So what Aragami are we facing in this mission?" I ask curiously. I fully intended to attack the psion with my Blood Art but I suppose I should adapt my methods depending on the Aragami I will be facing.

"Well, according to my report," Alisa fiddles around with her tablet whilst sitting across from me, "there has been sightings of a Ravana and a new type of psion. I hope you're prepared. You know that I won't be able to damage to psion." She tells me what I already know.

"Okay, so how do you want to do this? You kill the Ravana whilst I kill the psion?" I enquire with what would be the quickest way to defeat the two Aragami.

"One of the reasons I wanted to go on this mission with you, alone, was to see your fighting style." Alisa speaks and I understand the point she is trying to make.

"Okay, so we fight the Ravana first. If the psion hears the fight and comes over to us, I'll take care of that whilst you fight the Ravana. If you defeat the Ravana before I defeat the psion, you can provide me with healing bullets. Sound like a plan?" I inform her of my makeshift plan and hope she agrees with it. To be fair, I don't think there was any other way to kill the beast. She nods her head confidently with a smile on her face.

20 minutes later, the Ravana has been defeated and now we are walking towards the last known sighting of the psion.

"It was sighted just off of the peninsula at area C. We should check that area." Alisa informs me. We had defeated the Ravana and suffered minimal injuries but seeing as how I am the only one that can be fighting against the psion there will probably definitely be an injury. A ping from Alisa's tablet brings my attention to her and it.

"Oh, new information on the psion. It has been named a Kabbala-Kabbala and has similar features to a Gboro-Gboro." She reads the information off of the tablet with a hint of surprise at the new information. I must admit that I am surprised as well. We continue walking down the peninsula, taking in the sight as we do so. There are numerous raised ice platforms which would be good for fighting the psion.

"Graaaa!" We hear a growl and look to each other. I decide to take the lead as we creep towards the source. Reaching it, I almost burst out laughing. The Aragami wasn't very intimidating. It looked like an old man. I look to Alisa to see she was amused by the sight as well. It takes us a little while to regain our composure but when we do, I point to Alisa to stay on a high ledge and then I charge towards the beast.

It goes down without much of a fight.

After the fight, we call for a helicopter to pick us up and chat as we travel back to the Far East Branch. It takes a while but at least Alisa now knows how I fight. I am still quite tired from the amount of moving I had to do so, upon reaching the branch, we split ways. She goes her own way whilst I go to the lounge to get a drink. As I enter the lounge I manage to over hear Haruomi tutoring Kanon.

"Okay, here's the plan. Post up in cover and take aim. Then... Keep aiming until the mission's over." He instructs her and moves his hands to simulate the actions she should be doing. I move to the counter in the lounge and ask the girl behind it for a drink. She complies and I give her my thanks.

"All right, okay..." She sounds like she has the hang of it. I take a drink from the bottle the girl gave me. "So when do I fire?"

"Hahaha!" I only just manage to swallow my mouthful before laughing out loud as I hear Kanon speak her concern, I had noticed that Haruomi never told her when to fire. How does it feel Haruomi?

"Ah! Hey! Would you come here for a sec?" It seems my outburst had caught their attention. I comply with Haruomi's request and walk towards them, drink in hand.

"You probably already know," Haru begins speaking to Kanon, "but this is the Vice Captain of the Blood Unit."

"We're acquainted." I speak up, saving the girl from the embarrassment. Haruomi looks at me as I speak and notices my eye patch, he doesn't say anything though. I assume if he wanted to ask then he will.

"Well, you should know that this is Kanon Daiba, the 4th Unit's most elite God Eater." He reintroduces me when it wasn't needed. Whilst Kanon mumbles about how she isn't much of an elite, Haruomi whispers to me that I shouldn't get too emotionally close to her and I remember what he said the last time we me; Kanon has a boyfriend that had beat Haruomi up.

"Yep, she's great! Real talented all-rounder. Trust me. Aragami flee at the sight of her." He speaks with a wide smile. I've never heard Haruomi praise somebody so much. Then again, I haven't known him for very long.

"Kanon," He turns to her, "I'm sorry I had to keep this a secret from you until now... But this God Eater right here, this badass..." He's clearly up to something. "This will be your primary instructor!"

"Huh?" Kanon speaks in surprise and I must admit that I share the same feeling.

"Listen close, learn some blood powers, become even better. If anyone can do it, you can." I'm not even sure that a person who isn't a member of Blood can learn blood powers. Is he trying to get out of teaching her?

"But I thought you were supposed to be teaching me." She seemed a little hurt. Think twice about this Haruomi. Do you want to hurt her feelings.

"Heh... Well... I, uh... Already taught you everything I know." He looks away from her. I guess he has some decency to look away from a person's face when lying. Nevertheless, it's about time I speak up.

"You're trying to pass this off?"

"Great! You will teach her better than I ever could!" I am amazed at how Haruomi suddenly decided that I will replace him as the teacher. He clearly must think that this is a hopeless role if he is to retire on it. Unbelievably he walks away with a wave. I'm going to have to get even with him at some point.

"Um..." Kanon's nervousness brings my attention back to her. "This is all rather sudden, but if Haru says it will help me become a better God Eater..." I really didn't want this role pushed onto me. I suppose this is karma for laughing at his teaching tactics, right? Maybe I can just stay on the sidelines and offer her advice instead.

"I'm happy to give advice." I say with a smile.

"Y-Yes, Instructor! Um... I'm honoured to study under you, Instructor. I'll do anything you request of me." She takes position like a soldier getting ready to march into a battlefield, something which I find amusing but bad at the same time. She is much too uptight. The key to fighting is to relax.

"I may not be the best, but I'll try my best. P-please be patient with me." I put a hand to my head as I think of the next steps.


	26. Chapter 26

Chapter 26

DISCLAIMER: I DO NOT OWN THE GOD EATER FRANCHISE HOWEVER I DO OWN MY OC.

Name: Cedrick Esparza

Gender: Male

Hairstyle: Style 7 (Dark Brown)

God Arc: Ice Drill (Short Blade), Apega Blaze (Sniper Rifle), Kurogane Tower (Shield)

Blood Art: Blood Cascade II

"So Kanon, what is it you need help with exactly?" I ask most logical question I could think of. If I am to help Kanon, I will need to know what she needs help with. It makes sense, right?

"Um... There's accuracy, what bullets to shoot and... Oh! Friendly fire. I definitely need help with that last part." She says so matter of factly that I find it surprising. She must have had these difficulties for a while if Haruomi gave up on her.

"How long have you been having difficulty in those areas?" I voice my thoughts. Maybe she hasn't always been like this and is just stuck in a rut at the minute or a bad run of form.

"Let's see here." She assumes a thinking stance, finger under chin, as she thinks about her answer. "Probably since" I notice her tone has gotten more depressed. It is as if we had just been teleported to one of the icy regions located at Earth's poles and we were standing out there as we feel the decreased temperature on our naked bodies. "he left us." I focus so much on the figurative temperature change around us that I almost miss the rest of her sentence. In an attempt to get her to brighten up, and thus the figurative temperature, I ask her a question that I hope will bring back better memories of this "he" Kanon refers to.

"So what did you do before you had these problems?" My attempt to brighten the mood works but only just.

"He" There's the pronoun again, "helped me to produce special bullets that, if a God Eater got in the way, they would be healed instead of injured." She explains to me about how she got around the problem before but that brings a new situation to mind.

"Why can't you continue to use them bullets?" Surely she won't have these problems if she uses those bullets, right?

"That's the thing. They don't work anymore." The sadness in her voice cements the comment to be true but that doesn't mean that I don't find it confusing.

"Wha-What do you mean?" I hear myself stutter, thankfully though it only emphasises my confusion at the situation.

"I don't know how it happened. One day my Arc was able to use those bullets, the next day it wasn't able to. I tried to vary it but it still didn't work so I've been forced to use standard bullets." She was getting too depressed now. I was already beginning to figuratively feel the cold Antarctic winds against my skin.

"Well, how about we start training tomorrow? I've just came back from a tiring mission after all." To be honest, I had almost completely forgotten about the mission. It didn't take too long and therefore wasn't very tiring but I didn't really feel like teaching Kanon right now. There has to be something that could better use my time.

"Aye aye, Instructor. I'll be waiting until then." She salutes me in a way that I find amusing yet childish. This woman has been a God Eater for longer than me and still acts like a child, I wonder what she fights like.

"At ease." I speak as she relinquishes her soldier pose. I give her a wave goodbye before walking away.

"Oh, and Instructor?" She speaks up, causing me to stop in my tracks and turn around.

"Yeah?" I was surprised. I didn't expect to hear from her so soon. I thought we were finished with the conversation but she still had more to say?

"How has your eye been?" I raise a hand to my eye patch after her question.

"Apart from last night, my eye has been fine. I can only assume that last night's pain was because the anaesthesia was wearing off." I speak what I thought. Hopefully Kanon will confirm that my thoughts were correct. It would be a huge relief to know that there isn't anything else that is wrong with me.

"Yeah, that is most likely the case." She says before taking on a more shy demeanour, "I see you've taken my idea then?" I rack my brain for what she could have possibly suggested to me before realising that it was her idea to get an eye patch.

"Oh, yes I have. I don't really like the fake eye so I thought about hiding it from the world. Never to see the light of day." I state confidently. I see Kanon ponder over her next words. I speculate leaving but I have the feeling that she wants to say something else.

"Cedrick, you shouldn't worry about what other people will think about your replacement eye. I'm sure your friends will be supportive of whatever you pick." Maybe I was right to stay. Kanon's words sounded like they came from the bottom of her heart. I suppose it would be rude not to acknowledge them.

"Thank you, Kanon but I don't wear my eye patch for others. I wear it so I don't have to look at my eye every time I loom into a reflective surface." With that, I take my leave; heading out of the lounge and to the cafeteria. I am quite hungry so that would be the logical spot.

After collecting my tray of food, I sit down at a table near the back; one that gives me view of the cafeteria doors. I like to watch the doors as people enter to see who actually does. Right now, there is only a few people in the cafeteria and these people I haven't met. I can only assume that, due to the absence of armlets, they are not God Eaters. I suppose they could even be the family members of the black plague victims that are housed within the infirmary at the moment. The door opening catches my attention. The person who walks through isn't a God Eater but heavily supports them. The woman looks around the cafeteria before her eyes land on me, noticing I was looking at her. She gives me a friendly wave before grabbing a tray and moving to get her food. I focus on mine and continue eating. A few seconds later, I jump a little as the woman took a seat opposite me.

"Hi, Vice Captain." Licca speaks cheerfully. I look to her face and notice that she has grease marks on her cheeks. I don't point it out though. It is actually pretty cute that she is so devoted to her work that she doesn't notice when her face pays the price for it.

"Hi, Licca." I respond in a lower levelled cheery voice compared to hers. "What can I do you for?"

"Thanks to the materials you collected, I can finally run those tests. Thank you!" She seemed genuinely pleased. I do remember testing out the machine she gave me but I can't remember giving her any materials. Maybe she just noticed I had them in storage and thought they were for her. Either way, I probably wasn't going to use those materials so it would be better if she could find some use for them.

"No problem, Licca." I continue eating as she speaks.

"But we're just getting started. I want you to help me collect data using the improved version." She must mean the machine. She's already improved it? "I think it might be pretty late before we finish. Is that alright with you?" It seems as though she had already enlisted me to help her out. I have no problem with that but at the moment, I am enjoying my slop of a dinner. Or at least, I am trying to.

"Not right now, we are having food." I gesture to our plates to which she just smile in response as if anticipating the answer.

"I know that. I meant after our food."

"Oh, yeah, I'd be happy to help." I speak from the heart. I am genuinely interested in helping her continue her project. According to Licca, this machine will be beneficial for God Eaters so I'd like to see how it works before it is released as an official device.

"Really?! Hehe, I'm so glad to hear that." Hearing how grateful Licca is is truly heart warming. This is why I help people. "It's so good to have someone like you around." With them being her final words, the two of us continue eating.

I stand atop a ledge high above the battlefield also known as the City of Mercy. I scout the area to locate the Aragami and where their hiding places may be. I look to my Arc and see the upgraded device equipped to it. It was bigger than the other device but if bigger mean stronger, then I am all for it.

"Okay, everything is reading nicely." Licca comments on my vital signs through my earpiece. For safety reasons, she stays in the Den on these missions. It is only natural, right? She can't defend herself seeing as how she isn't a God Eater. "There should be a herd of Ogretails in your area." She informs me and I jump down from the ledge. I wander over to where I thought the first hiding spot would be and I am not surprised that I find an Ogretail there. Without so much as a thought, I silently run towards it, God Arc in Melee Form which comes crashing down on the Aragami, taking it by surprise. It tries to retaliate with a tail attack but a simple back step makes sure that it misses me. Once the tail has swiped past me, I charge in with another slash which quickly turns into a multitude of slashes. One, two, three, four, then I suddenly feel a boost that allows me to keep slashing. The Ogretail falls onto its side, breathing heavily but I don't relent my onslaught. About five slashes later and I make sure the Ogretail doesn't get back up. I extract its core and get a minor surprise as I hear Licca through my earpiece.

"Nice work with that Ogretail, Cedrick! There should be two more Ogretails about 20 metres North West of where you are." I give my silent thanks to Licca before continuing in the direction she pointed me in.

Sure enough, I find two Ogretails feeding on what looks to be the remains of another. I'm not quite sure how I will take them both on at once. Maybe I can lure one of them closer to me. I think for about a minute of how I can do that before acting out my best idea. I take cover behind the chapel in the centre of the city and bang my Arc against the wall, hoping that one of the Aragami will hear me. _BANG! BANG! BANG!_ To me, the noise was pretty loud but it didn't seem to attract the attention of any of the two Ogretails.

"An Ogretail is moving towards your area. It is about 15 metres to your left." Licca informs me through the earpiece and I look towards my left. The wall continues on for about 10 metres so the Aragami will be just around that corner. I stealthily follow the wall and wait about one metre away from the corner. About five seconds later, I see the nose of the Aragami enter my field of vision. I wait for only another second and strike the beast on the head.

"GRRAA!" It releases a loud roar as it crumbles to the ground in pain. For the next 10 seconds, I lift my Arc down onto its head several more times before it is defeated. It is only then that I hear four sets of footsteps from behind me. Without even looking back, I run around the corner and keep heading straight on; turning when I get to the next corner. When I do, I see that the two Ogretails that were mauling the corpse of another were missing. So the two following me had to be the two that were here.

"GRAA!" A collective roar from the two of them tells me that they are getting close to my position. Instead of continuing straight ahead, I run to my right and into a wide open area to which battling should be easy. I look back to the corner I had ran from to see the two Ogretails that had spotted me. Without another thought, I set out a paralysis trap right in front of me and make sure to stay behind it as the two Ogretails run towards me. One of them stops when they are about 5 metres away and raises its tail, the other looks as though it is about to knock me down with its jaw. Thankfully, the paralysis trap stops this charging Ogretail but it doesn't stop the other Aragami from releasing a barrage of icicles in my direction. I manage to hide behind the paralysed form of the Ogretail which takes the brunt of the attack. However, it is not large enough to stop the entirety of the icicles so I am forced to deploy my shield. Once the barrage is over, I take to swiping the Ogretail directly in front of me. I manage to land three swipes before I notice that I am unable to see the Aragami that launched the icicles. I look around before noticing that the Aragami is situated about 5 metres behind me. During my slashing with the paralysed Ogretail, the other one had moved behind me. I move to the side so that I can keep both in my vision. As long as this Ogretail is paralysed, it should be easy to-

"GRRRAAA!" the Ogretail breaks out of the trap, turning towards me as it does so. The monster's face doesn't look very happy. Nevertheless, since this Aragami is closer to me, it takes the priority. I side step to the right and slash at it. I wait for the Aragami face me again before I side step to the left and slash it again. That's when I feel a pain in my side which forces me down to the ground. I'm not sure how I keep forgetting that I am fighting against two Aragami but I do. The Ogretail that knocked me down attempts to lunge onto my downed form but I scramble backwards before it does so, raising my shield to block its jaws from somehow biting onto a limb. I get to my feet just as I notice the originally paralysed Aragami launching icicles in my direction. I force myself to back step to avoid them. I was becoming fatigued now and I could feel the build up of lactic acid in my legs. I will have to kill them quickly. I switch to gun form and launch the maximum four bullets at the Ogretails. One of them falls to the ground whilst the other flinches. I take this as my opportunity and use a stun grenade, making sure to cover my eyes as I do so. As the Aragami slowly recover from their stunning, I use an O-Ampule to replenish my Oracle Points. Once they have been replenished, I launch all four bullets at the downed Aragami killing it instantly. Now, with only one left, I charge towards the remaining Ogretail which has just managed to overcome the stunning and slash at the beast. It becomes routine to back step just before the Aragami tries swinging its tail at me but I manage to defeat it in another minute or so.

When I returned back to the Den, I was told to check in with the medical unit. Luckily, I did not see Kanon there and I told the unit that I needed my internal bias factor checked. They gave me the 'A-OK' and allowed me to leave. I met Licca waiting in down the corridor for me and I bought us two drinks as we talked.

"Oh, wow. *yawn* Is it that late already?" She asks rhetorically. When I had returned room the mission, it was already quite late. It also took a while before the medical unit could see to me so that added to more time. As of now, I believe that it is 23:30.

"We did some good work today, thanks for the help." Once again, hearing how grateful Licca is makes this all worth it. "You're real dedicated too. Most people, especially God Eaters, shy away from this type of stuff." I'm happy to hear her comment and can only respond with one of my own.

"We work well together." I speak with a smile on my face.

"Hahaha! Well it's always nice to work on something that's actually progressing." As she speaks, I struggle to contain a yawn of my own. "A Fenrir engineer started the design work on this prototype ages and ages ago. He wanted our fighters to have access to a Link Support Device and a God Arc all at once. He said it'd keep more people alive out there. But Fenrir deemed the project a financial sinkhole. It was 'impossible', so they refused to fund it. Without funding, it got shelved." I didn't know the history of this project was so complex, it seemed to be bringing down the mood. I continue to listen, however.

"But good engineers don't take no for an answer. He kept at it; researching, developing, a step at a time. He died before it was finished." She has built the mood back up. "He was always a tenacious guy. The engineer - my father... Gave his life for this project." And just like that she brings it down again. It is good to hear a bit of back story for this project though as well as her motivation. "Thanks to you, we've finally proven that his dream was within reach. We're so close, it's like I can stretch out and grab it." I give a nod of my head to cement her thoughts.

"We're going to be working on this for a while, so before we get into it, I want you to promise me something." She seemed so serious, I don't think it would be right to not promise her this. "Promise me you won't hold back. If I've made a mistake or done something wrong, if I get a little crazy, tell me. Promise?" I was expecting her to ask me for a promise like that. I thought it would be something along the lines of never giving up on this project. Nevertheless, I need to give my answer.

"I promise." I give a nod of my head to reinforce my support in her project. After that, we both finish our drinks and decide to call it a night. After all, I have a busy day tomorrow, one that I am not really looking forward to.


	27. Chapter 27

Chapter 27 - Kanon

I'm going to try something different for this chapter. I know that if I keep making chapters so that there are two character episodes for each chapter that it will get boring pretty quickly. Instead, I am going to try and complete all, available, character episodes in one chapter starting with this one. Tell me if you would prefer this by messaging me or leaving a review.

Also, just to remark, this will not be a harem fanfic. I'm just trying to explain what the typical, hormonal male teenager would be like when surrounded by all of these women. Cedrick will notice their assets, it's impossible for him not to, but will not be interested in some of them in any other way apart from friends.

DISCLAIMER: I DO NOT OWN THE GOD EATER FRANCHISE HOWEVER I DO OWN MY OC.

Name: Cedrick Esparza

Gender: Male

Hairstyle: Style 7 (Dark Brown)

God Arc: Ice Drill (Short Blade), Apega Blaze (Sniper Rifle), Kurogane Tower (Shield)

Blood Art: Blood Cascade II

I begin the day by waking from my sleep. It was a rather comfortable sleep with a comfortable dream. I dreamt about a day that would be different from what I have planned. A day that I wouldn't have to be Kanon's instructor and I could just freely do a mission or two without having any worries. Now though, I have Kanon to worry about and, from what she's told me about her friendly fire incidents, I will have to worry about myself to. Regardless, I will have to get up from my bed sometime soon so why not now. Who knows, the sooner I get up could mean the sooner I can come back to my bed. I complete my morning routine of doing my business, getting dressed, eating breakfast in the cafeteria and then brushing my teeth before I decide it is finally time to begin the working day. I leave my room, making sure to lock it, before heading to the lounge. I had seen the woman who haunts my every waking moment, today anyway, in the cafeteria and told her to wait for me in the lounge. I just hope she is there.

Sure enough, I walk into the lounge and see Kanon sitting on one of the couches in front of a large television screen. I take a seat across from her, bringing her attention to me as I make myself comfortable. I already have a plan for today set out and I plan to stick to it.

"Thank you for coming to see me today, Instructor." She speaks politely but she seems uptight.

"Something on your mind, Kanon?" I hope that it isn't weighing on her heavily. I do want to get our training started so that she can become a better God Eater and if whatever she has on her mind is weighing her down then we may have a problem. I mean, another problem.

"Um, well... It's kind of... Um..." She stutters and scrambles for the right words leading me to believe that she never expected my question. "I'm actually not quite sure what to ask about." Regardless of the fact that Kanon seemed really cute (as well as really nervous) as she said this, I find myself face-palming at it. "Ah! Wait, no! That's not what I meant!" She attempts to explain. She probably guessed that I was beginning to think that she was a lost cause. If she's too nervous to think before she speaks then I don't want to know what she'd going to be like on the battlefield.

"It's just..." She takes a really sad tone. I could have almost mistaken it for her crying. "I'm not really much help in battle. I try my best, really! But, I can't get any better. I take missions on my own. I'm at the range everyday. Maybe I'm not cut out to be a God Eater." She finishes dejectedly. It seems that there is an even bigger problem than I first thought. She has began self-deprecating because she thinks she's that bad. This means she has almost no confidence in her own abilities. If I am to help her as her Instructor, then I'm going to need to fix her confidence problems as well.

"Just focus on the enemy." I offer her my advice but she doesn't receive it very well.

"Easier said than done. I know I'm not a good shot, I hear it from everyone, but... Maybe it's my timing. Aragami are always jumping around and the team runs into my line of fire!" She complains, slightly raising her voice as she does so, but I have to state the obvious to respond to her.

"They're going to move..." I respond to her, having the nerve to look and sound sheepish as I do so.

"I... I understand." She brightens up as if she has had a revelation. I wonder, did she really think that the Aragami, and therefore her team mates, won't move when she fires? Surely not, right? "So you're saying I need to focus on the basics! Keep my eyes on the target and never stop shooting!" Despite Kanon's sudden excitement from her revelation, I begin to feel the opposite. Hearing that Kanon will never stop shooting the target is as scary as it is worrying, especially with her history of friendly fire. Nevertheless, I stay silent. It would be bad to interrupt her current, and much better, mood. "That's brilliant advice! Thank you so much, Instructor! You always know just what to say!" She is a lot more chirpy than before which is good if we are to go on a mission. However, I'm not sure what she means with her last exclamatory sentence. We've only had a few conversations and only one of them, this one, has left her feeling like she is now. At least, she didn't seem like she was this happy before.

"Now that we've sorted that out, I've decided on our plan for today." I speak happily, leaning on my knees to show I mean business.

"Plan?" Kanon asks in a mildly confused tone.

"You didn't just think I'd offer you advice, right? As an instructor, we will be going on mission together." I speak with faked passion. To be honest, I am genuinely curious to see how she grows as a God Eater but it was never my intention to actually teach Kanon the _101 of being a God Eater_. "I thought you could show me what you can do and we'll work from there."

"Yeah. Yeah! That sounds like a great plan! So, do you already have a mission in mind?" I like how confident of my plan she sounds but honestly, I didn't have a mission in mind. I would have to ask Hibari for any lower tier missions but I don't need to tell Kanon that.

"Yes I do. Go and get yourself ready for a hunt and meet me on the roof in 15 minutes." I give her my command with a, faked, joyous voice.

"Aye aye, Instructor!" She stands up straight and gives me a little salute before rushing off to who knows where. I find her formal, yet humorous tone that she speaks those words in to be amusing but don't show it on my face.

With Kanon getting herself ready for the mission, I headed over to Hibari's desk. After a little discussion, I found out that a mission entitled "The Hunter and the Bait" would be the best mission to see what Kanon can do. The mission describes that, located within the Abandoned City, there is a large variety of small Aragami including Ogretails, Fallen Ogretails, charged Cocoon Maidens and Dreadpikes. This should give Kanon a good opportunity to show me what she can do. I enrol Kanon and I onto this mission and get myself prepared.

20 minutes later, we find ourselves walking around the Abandoned City and begin to hear the roars of Aragami near Point C.

"I wonder if all of them are located in that one area." I whisper to my team mate who creeps along with me to find a vantage point to see the beasts on the field.

"Will we be able to take them all on?" She whispers back to me as we start to cross over the bride connecting the two different sized platforms.

"Not at the same time. Let's see what Aragami are there and see what to do from there." I inform her. Not even bothering to see if she agrees, we manage to find a small platform which allows us to have a better view of the area. Unfortunately for us, it also gives the Aragami a better view of us.

"GRA!" One of the Ogretails located further away from us roars in our direction, gaining the attention of the rest of the pack. At the moment, I can see two Ogretails, one Fallen and on regular and two charged Cocoon Maidens. Fortunately, Cocoon Maidens cannot move from the spot they inhabit so that just leaves us with the Ogretails as a major problem.

"Stay up here, Kanon. You can shoot the Cocoon Maidens. I'll take care of the Ogretails. Make sure to be careful with your aim" I jump from the ledge, ignoring her protests about how dangerous the situation is but I have battled against two Ogretails before. Very recently in fact. Probably less than 12 hours ago now that I think about it. Nevertheless, i can't let my previous battles with Aragami cloud my judgement over this battle. Every battle is different in some way, shape or form.

I charge to the closest Ogretail, God Arc firmly to my side as I prepare for a multitude of attacks. A diving glide, a simple swipe and a very fast devour all go my way before I change to Gun Form to shoot off my newly acquired Aragami bullets at the same target. By this point, I have become painfully aware of the whereabouts of the other Ogretail as it knocks me off of my feet. I have to force my God Arc to change target mid way through falling so that it doesn't pounce on my downed form. I scramble to my feet before switching back to Melee Form.

"Kanon! Cover your eyes!" I shout and barely hear her confused response before I launch a stun grenade against the ground, making sure to cover my eyes as well. With the Aragami stunned, I continue my onslaught on the severely injured Aragami and it falls with a final breath. I turn around to see the other Aragami only to be met with a bullet to my abdomen. Unlike the last time this happened, this one hurt pretty badly.

"Ahhh!" I scream in pain as I fall to the ground. Unfortunately for me, the stun grenade has worn off and now the Ogretail pounces at my downed form, its jaws trying to grip onto my head. I force my Arc to bridge the gap between us and resort to attempting to kick the Aragami off. As expected, it doesn't really feel any pain but at least it is off of my now. Just as I am about to attack the Aragami, a bullet whizzes past my neck.

"HEALING BULLETS, KANON!" That was the last straw. If she wanted to fire bullets in my direction, they should be healing bullets. I have no doubt that, whilst a bullet to my neck may not have killed me, I would have definitely been in too much shock to fight against the Aragami; leaving it to kill me. Thankfully, Kanon either takes my advice or stops shooting in my direction as I manage to finish the beast off. I look around and notice that the Cocoon Maidens had been defeated.

"We didn't run into any Dreadpikes." I speak to myself as I remember that they were also on the list of Aragami reported to be in this area. Wary of the fact that they could still be around here somewhere, I quietly walk back to a dejected Kanon atop the ledge.

"How was that, Instructor?" She elicits the conversation with her depressed question. Why did she ask when she knows what I'm going to say? "I took really careful aim, just like you said." If I didn't know that Kanon was really nervous, I'd have been more surprised at her sentence. She almost killed me!

"You shouldn't shoot if you've been blinded." I state simply. I assume the reason why she hit me was because she didn't heed my warning about the stun grenade.

"I'm really sorry. I'll do better next time. Promise." She gets down from the ledge so that she can apologise eye-to-eye with me. "Nnngh..." She groans with a depressed voice. To hear this groan sounded like I had kicked a puppy. If I was feeling any anger towards her, it definitely disappeared with that cute little groan. It may have been a cute groan but I don't want to hear it again. "Oh, right! Sorry!" She cheers up instantly, "I'll go back right now and-"

"No, we're not going back yet." I quickly interrupt her.

"What? What do you mean?" She asks with confusion evident in her voice as well as a face to match it. She was clearly surprised by my sudden interruption.

"I had planned to complete an objective today and so far, we haven't completed it. So we're going on another mission." I watch her reaction. It turns from surprise to confusion and then to excitement.

"Really? Well, okay then. I'll do much better this time, I promise." Her excitement is a welcome change from the depressing Kanon just a few utterances earlier.

"Great, now keep an eye out for any Aragami nearby. Go back onto the ledge and be a lookout." With my simple commands, she gives me the usual "aye aye, Instructor" before following them. Meanwhile, I walk a bit further away, just out of earshot of her.

"Hibari?" I speak into my earpiece and hope she will hear me. "Hibari?" I ask again, extending her name as I do so. It is then that I hear shuffling on the other side of the mic.

"Cedrick? What's the problem?"

"Hi Hibari, can you tell me if there are any Aragami signatures nearby?" I ask her. I decided to speak to her in private just so I could teach Kanon to always remain vigilant. I also had another reason.

"No, there doesn't seem to be. It looks like you're all clear. I'll send a helicopter to pick you two up and-"

"There's no need, Hibari. We've decided to take on another mission while we're out here. Can you tell me where the closest place with Aragami is?" For the second time in a matter of minutes, I have interrupted another woman. This woman also seems surprised and confused but after explaining my plan to her, she willingly told me that the Wailing Plains was the closest place with Aragami that no other God Eaters had been sent out to kill. The reason is that these Aragami are Night Hollows and Cocoon Maidens; stationary Aragami. I gave her my thanks and told her to document that Kanon and I would be completing that mission. After finishing my talk with Hibari, I told Kanon the good news and off we headed, on foot, to the Wailing Plains.

By the time we reached the Wailing Plains, the natural light from the sun has disappeared completely and now, our path is illuminated only by the moon. As you can tell, this makes navigating a bit more difficult. However, having already had experience of fighting Aragami in the night, yesterday to help Licca, I am perfectly fine with fighting stationary Aragami in the dark.

"Are we there yet?" As you can imagine, it probably wasn't the best idea to walk all the way to the Wailing Plains from the Abandoned City. It was a pretty long distance after all and for all of it, I had to put up with this from Kanon.

"Yes! Yes we are! Now stop complaining." I was getting tired of her constant complaints and was beginning to get a bit ticked off.

"It's your fault! You said that we had to walk all of the way here. Can we take a rest before we look for the Aragami?" She keeps her nagging, annoying voice. It's funny to think that before I found her to be sweet. After spending this much time with her though, I've grown used to it and it has lost its sweetness.

"I'll tell you what, Kanon, why don't we find a tall ledge to scout the area and we'll take a rest there." She may be annoying at the minute but she's not always like that. Despite this, I would like a rest as well. If an experienced God Eater like Kanon is tired after the walk, there is almost no hope for me to be tired. The difference is that I am not complaining about it. At least, out loud. Inside my head all I can think about is the build up of lactic acid in my legs and well as my arms. I have had to carry a God Arc after all. At least the Melee Form is lighter. I couldn't imagine having to carry my Arc in Gun Form like Kanon is forced to. Surely both of her arms are killing her.

"That sounds... reasonable." She agrees with me and we continue walking.

A short while later, we find a tall ledge in area A and climb on it.

"Phew. Ow, my legs hurt." Kanon continues to complain despite falling to the ground to rest. She rubs her legs up and down as I scout the area, standing at the edge of the ledge and straining my eyes to see for any sign of the Aragami we are searching for.

"I was in the Defence Unit for a while. I was the worst recruit, but..." Kanon begins and I wonder why she started telling me this. Aren't we supposed to keep an eye out for the Aragami? Well, I suppose I can lend her my ears. "they were always kind. I worked so hard to keep up with everyone, then we reorganised and got a whole bunch of new recruits. When the first new type God Eater came to the branch, he was put into the 1st Unit. I followed soon after." I turn to look at her and see her reminiscing with a large smile on her face. I wonder why. She is talking about a new God Eater, maybe they had a positive history. Maybe they came to know each other in the 1st Unit. I don't know. Whatever the case, Kanon's smile is a welcome change from her recent complaining but one thought crosses my mind. Why is she telling me this?

"Before I knew it, I was a veteran with a bunch of God Eaters coming to me for advice." Her face takes on a more worried expression. I turn back to continue observing the scene.

"A veteran?" I was tempted to say that she didn't look like one considering I am tutoring her and I haven't even had a few months experience as a God Eater yet, but I couldn't bring myself to do it. She already had a worried look on her face, I didn't want to make her even more worried and possibly self-conscious about her ranking.

"Mmhm." A dejected answer is all she gives me. The sound reminds me of earlier in the day when she gave a cute groan. I didn't want to hear these types of sounds from her. She is my student, after all. "Time keeps marching on, I guess." She continues, "Captain Haru always tells me I can't act like a rookie forever." She takes a more humorous tone. I try to keep this tone in her voice by asking a question. It seems that when she talks about Haruomi she seems happier. Let's stay on the subject of him.

"What's the 4th Unit like?" I turn to face her as I ask my question before resuming my lookout duties. Before she answers me, I see two stationary figures moving slightly. They remain in one spot but their bodies keep moving. There's our targets. I would have told Kanon that but I had just asked a question, it would be rude to disregard it now.

"We're a commando team." I was right to stick on the topic, her mood seems to be brighter now. "We can move around easy and help anywhere because it is just two of us. Oh, right!" She claps her hands together and surprises me slightly with such a change in her tone. It changed from reminiscing to almost giddy. "I had a question about that. I think I've figured out how I can get better." She is definitely excited about the prospect of becoming a better God Eater. This intrigues me as I leave my outlook position and sit across from her.

"Oh? Please tell." There was no point in hiding my curiosity from her. If anything, if she knows I am curious about it, she will feel better about it. Hopefully.

"Even though the 4th Unit is just us two, I still manage to get in the way." She begins with a slightly depressed voice before almost shouting to the heavens, "If I want to be helpful, I'll need an Oracle Reserve! That way I can hit so much harder!" She tells me with excitement. It drops slightly as she utters her next sentence, "Unfortunately, my God Arc's not compatible, so Licca said it was unsafe for me to have one. But if I did have one, I think I can do some good! Do you think you could ask Licca for me?" I'm not sure why she wants me to ask but she seems to be begging me to say yes.

"I'll give it a try." I give a shrug of my shoulders as if to tell her not to get her hopes up.

"Thank you so much! Oh, and please don't tell Captain Haru about this, I want it to be a big surprise for him!" I give a nod of my head in response before remembering about the Aragami.

"Now that that is out of the way, we have Aragami to hunt." I stand up from my spot, stretching slightly as I had allowed my body to rest whilst listening to Kanon.

"Okay! I'll be more aggressive, just like you taught me, Instructor!" I had given Kanon some advice during the walk here which included being more aggressive and not being afraid to shoot. Hesitating can get people killed out here.

We jumped down from the ledge and I led the way to the Aragami.

"Okay, Kanon. You are going to kill these Aragami by yourself." I whisper to her confidently as we hide around a corner so that we are not in direct eyesight of the Cocoon Maiden and Night Hollow.

"Okay! Just tell me when to go!" She isn't exactly whispering. To be honest, I expected her to be excited after the little talk we had which is why I took us around the corner to not be seen by the Aragami.

"Remember what I told you." I give her a pat on the shoulder before commanding, "Go!" She rushes out from the corner, and I stick my head out of it to see her rushing towards the Aragami that have definitely noticed her. Just like I taught her, she shoots once then moves her position and shoots; repeating the cycle until the Night Hollow is defeated. This tactic has helped her to avoid the Cocoon Maiden's long range orb attacks while defeating one Aragami.

"Uh oh! Out of Oracle Points!" She shouts and remains on the spot as she takes out an O-Ampule and injects it into her Arc. Unfortunately for her, she hasn't noticed that the Cocoon Maiden has already launched an orb in her direction.

"Move Kanon!" I shout in a panic. She looks up to see the orb a few metres away from her and thankfully she isn't caught daydreaming as she leaps to the side, the orb dissipating upon impact with the ground. With recharged OP, she gets back up and finishes off the Aragami in three bullets.

"You want me to supply an Oracle reserve for Kanon...?" Licca repeats what I had said previously. After the mission with Kanon, I had promptly called Hibari to send a helicopter to pick us up. During the whole ride as well as putting away our God Arcs, she made sure that I wouldn't forget to ask Licca if Kanon can have an Oracle reserve. Coincidentally, after Kanon and I had put our Arcs away, Licca came from around the corner where we had a little chat. I had asked about the project and she told me about how she is still making improvements. It wasn't long before Kanon left us but when she did, I had asked about the Oracle reserve. Licca takes a thinking posture as she repeats my question in a questioning tone.

"Can I, uh... say this off the record?" She knows that she doesn't need my answer as she continues. I do nod my head though, just to confirm that she can say whatever she is going to.

"*sigh*" Her sigh is enough to make me anticipate some possibly bad news, "I didn't stop her from getting the reserve, that was Haru... I'm sure you can guess why." Licca informs me with a slightly better tone than the questioning one she used before. It doesn't take a genius to know why Haruomi would stop her from getting an Oracle reserve. It probably had to do with the friendly fire incidents.

"When they got a look at her new power, well... some of the unit was concerned over Kanon's 'targeting habits' and asked for transfers. Captain Haru thought it was the best solution to tell her it just wasn't compatible with her God Arc. At the same time, and keep in mind this is just my engineer's perspective..." I can't tell by her voice if what she is about to say is positive or negative so I continue to listen to her without interrupting. "Kanon's compatibility with her God Arc is off the freakin' charts. Well, maybe I should rephrase that. She is very very compatible with her Arc. She isn't too compatible with it but she is at a great level and she has so much unfettered potential. I'm kinda curious to see how much firepower she can get outta that old model of hers." Licca positively comments on Kanon's Arc but her complimenting tone stops sharply, "Well, all right. You've started to teach Kanon, right? I know she calls you 'Instructor' and all that." She comments on the status of our relationship and I nod to tell her she is correct, but I can't help thinking how she knows about it. Kanon hadn't called me 'Instructor' when she was here earlier. I wonder if Kanon has been talking about me.

"Then, ultimately, the decision falls to you." I hadn't expected Licca to tell me this. So I am in charge of whether she gets an Oracle reserve or not? "You could nurture her incredible talent... Or not. I hope you make the right call.

"She shot me during our first mission earlier. I had shouted that I was using a stun grenade and she had decided to fire despite being blinded." I tell Licca with a small, painful smile on my face. It is hard to ignore Licca's little muffled giggles but I continue with my story, "The she almost killed me when a bullet whizzed past my neck." That had made her stop laughing as she looked towards me in concern. "She did get better after I gave her a ton of advice for our second mission though. I had told her that she would kill the Aragami whilst I stood back and watched under the pretense of seeing her progress. Really though, I wanted to avoid a near death experience." I say sheepishly with a humorous smile on my face. I see Licca return it but I decide to become serious again. After all, Kanon has her heart set on an Oracle reserve and I would hate to disappoint her.

"I might regret this."

"I know, I know." She seemed to know that I might. "Look, spend some time with her before you make up your mind. I think it will help." She gives me a smile as well as her wise words.

"Yeah, I'll do that. I should be heading to sleep now though. I'll see you soon, Licca." I give her a friendly wave as I set about heading to my own room to get some sleep.

It has been three hours since that conversation and I still haven't been able to get to sleep. No, the fact that Kanon's situation with an Oracle reserve is still on my mind probably doesn't help either. I had been thinking if it was really worth Kanon having an Oracle reserve. She seemed to do fine without it yesterday, seeing as how the time is now 02:50 the next day, so she may not really need one. Alas, I have thought of only one way to determine whether she can have one or not and that is to have another mission with her to see if she deserves it. Seeing as how I can't sleep and will need to tell Kanon and Licca about my decision, I log into my terminal and send them an email.

 _Subject: (cc: Kanon, Licca) Decision_

 _Hello,_ _we need to talk later. We should meet in the lounge for 09:00._

That was all that I would need to write in the email and so I send it off. I send another email to Licca telling her of my decision so that she isn't surprised about it when we talk to Kanon. Hopefully, they will check their emails sometime when they awaken.

The time is now 08:50 and I am currently standing in front of Hibari's desk. After the typical greetings, I had asked her if Kanon would be taking part in a mission today. Hibari told me that she had been enlisted in a solo mission for sometime soon. I ask her to enlist me into the mission as it would prove to be another Instructor-Student lesson for the both of us. This will be the mission that I will deduce whether or not she will have an Oracle reserve. After Hibari had enlisted me, I head into the lounge where I see Kanon sitting on a couch near the large television screen. I take a seat opposite her, making my presence known.

"Instructor, what is it? Did I do something wrong?" She almost whispers in a depressed state.

"No, no, I do need to talk to you though." I dismiss her worries as the colour returns to her face.

"You have to-? But I have to go on a mission now. Should I cancel it?" She didn't seem worried but she didn't seem happy either. Maybe she still thinks this will be a bad talk.

"Let's go together, after the talk." I tell he about how I've already enlisted myself onto the mission.

"Together? If you want to..." She suddenly seems to gain a positive attitude, "Oh! Of course! Good idea! I can't wait to hear what you're going to teach me this time!" She speaks excitedly but it deflates as I tell her,

"We just need to wait for Licca before we can start."

"Wait for Licca? Oh! Is it about the Oracle reserve?" She asks but I refuse to answer her question. Her anticipation about the situation put she in all sorts of moods as we wait until Licca arrives. I must admit, it is quite funny to see her mood change so much.

When Licca arrives, she takes a seat next to me. This is most likely so that she can talk to Kanon without having to turn her head and risk her avoiding eye contact. I find it funny that as Licca arrives, Kanon greets me as if I had just arrived as well.

"Thank you for coming to see me today, Instructor! And you too, Licca!" She was failing to hide her happiness at the thought of actually talking about her receiving an Oracle reserve.

"Hey there, Kanon." Greeting's over, time for business, "When you're out on assignment today, I want you to do something for me." Licca speaks, already knowing that this mission will determine whether or not Kanon will get an Oracle reserve.

"Sure! I mean, yes! What can I do?" Kanon seems to have already deduce why we need to talk to her. She is a smart girl after all but that doesn't stop her from being overly excited.

"I want you to show me that you deserve to be assigned to an Oracle reserve, okay?" Licca asks. Now, I'm not sure if Kanon knew the exact direction of the conversation or she is just faking her surprise at hearing this, or possibly just surprised that it is actually happening but she responds to Licca with a question of her own,

"Huh? You... You mean I can have one?" I decide to answer the question, it was me who arranged for this talk after all. It would be bad if I didn't actually talk.

"Depending on the results." As I speak, Kanon almost leaps off of the couch in excitement,

"I'll do my best! I'll give two- no- three hundred percent! I promise!" it was cute to see her acting like a child who had received a toy. I hope she knows that an Oracle reserve isn't a toy. Her excitement diminishes as she speaks her next words,

"Um... I don't suppose, you'd be willing to give me any advice, huh?"

"Remember to use recovery bullets." If she does that then hopefully people will be wanting to jump into her line of fire.

"Oh, okay!" She claps her hands together happily as the happiness returns in her voice as well. "Yes, Instructor! I'll focus on supporting everyone out there and keeping them healthy!" Clearly Kanon didn't know that it would only be the two of us out there.

"Keep that up and you'll do great. I want this to work for you, Kanon, so I'll be hoping for the best." Licca chips in with her own support.

"Thank you both so much! I promise I won't let you down! I'll show you how much I deserve one! I know I will!" With these final words, Licca leaves us to prepare for the mission.

"There have been reports of small Aragami in the area." I speak to Kanon as she follows me around the Wailing have a small talk about how thankful she is for this opportunity and I force myself to tell her not to get ahead of herself. If she fails the test then she won't get an Oracle reserve. Despite this, it doesn't seem to depress her or even tone down her excitement, she seems just as ready as she was during the talk.

We soon come across two Ogretails side by side. I inform her to take the one on the right whilst I take the one on the left. Both fall down without a challenge seeing as how the numbers were even and we knew when to avoid attacks and not to remain in the same place for a long period of time. We continue forward and find another pair of Aragami, this time Zygotes. Seeing as how these are airborne Aragami, I switch to my Arc's Gun Form. They too fall without trouble. This continues for the next set of Fallen Ogretails as well as the next set of Dreadpikes. Not once did I suffer from friendly fire. I was shot a few times with healing bullets when things went a little bit wrong with one of the Dreadpikes that almost pierced through me but it was sorted out in the end.

"So, how did I do?" Kanon spoke for the first time since we enter thee helicopter to go back to the Den.

"I'll tell you back in the lounge. I'll tell Licca to meet us there as well." I communicate through my earpiece to get Licca to meet us in the lounge.

Sure enough, 10 minutes later, the three of us are in the lounge in the same positions as before. Kanon across from me and Licca to the right of me.

"So, how'd I do, Licca? I gave it everything I got!" Kanon broke the silence first, unable to contain her excitement. She knew she did well but she wanted to see if we thought so too.

"You've got truly incredible compatibility, Kanon. If you use the recovery bullets, you'll do great!" Licca smiles as she gives Kanon her thoughts.

"Yeah, you did well." I smile as well. I didn't think that the mission would go so well with her today considering we've only been on three missions in total. The first one was bad, the second was better and the third was perfect.

"R-Really? I can really have one?!" She speaks in surprise before she becomes very grateful, her voice getting very high pitched, "Thank you! Thank you so much! Both of you! This is wonderful! Oh, I was so worried that you guys wouldn't have any use for me anymore. When everyone but me could use a reserve, I was so afraid that I'd get phased out!" She speaks of her worries. It saddens me to think she thought this way. There is a job for every God Eater to complete no matter how good or bad you are.

"Kanon..." Licca speaks with the same unfortunate tone I would have spoken had she not beaten me to the punch. Her words don't matter though s Kanon quickly jumps up from the couch with excitement.

"Ah, I have to call and tell my family!" She speeds out of the lounge in her excitement. I almost feel like face-palming because of how childish she is despite being a Veteran God Eater.

"This actually really is great for recovery bullets, people will be rushing to get hit!" Licca comments. I had told Kanon to only use recovery bullets when she is in a team apart from when she knows she can defeat an Aragami. I hope she follows my advice. After all, we haven't really solved her problem. One mission without being hit is a small success but only a small success. We will need to make sure she doesn't shoot anyone with any other bullets apart from recovery bullets during every mission.

"Very clever. Keep up the good work, 'Instructor'." Licca teases with a wide smile on her face before dismissing herself to get back to work. I, on the other hand, laze around in the lounge for a bit longer.


	28. Chapter 28

Chapter 28

DISCLAIMER: I DO NOT OWN THE GOD EATER FRANCHISE HOWEVER I DO OWN MY OC.

Name: Cedrick Esparza

Gender: Male

Hairstyle: Style 7 (Dark Brown)

God Arc: Burning Maiden (Short Blade), Apega Blaze (Sniper Rifle), Kurogane Tower (Shield)

Blood Art: Blood Cascade II

I would have liked to laze around in the lounge for longer than I actually did. It was ten minutes after Kanon left that my services were required again.

"Cedrick, can I speak with you?" Ciel had grabbed my attention by standing directly in front of me. She spoke with slight nervousness but was otherwise her usual self.

"Sure, what do you need?" I ask with a mild look of confusion which obviously displays how I feel at this sudden interaction.

"We should speak somewhere more... private." I'm not sure exactly what she means by this. Was this thing she wanted to speak to me about not supposed to be publicised? I wonder what it could be. She is nervous, maybe this has something to do with the two of us? Am I the cause for her nervousness? Or maybe the nervousness has something to do with why she wants to speak somewhere private. Maybe I'm looking into this too much.

"Where did you have in mind?" I try to hide my own nervousness at the situation. I'm not sure if I do a successful job but she doesn't comment on it.

"I was thinking, your room maybe?" She became more visibly nervous and I'm sure that I mirrored her nerves as well. In fact, I was definitely feeling anxious. I didn't trust myself to say another word so I lifted myself off of the couch and gestured to Ciel to follow.

Reaching my room, I notice that there are two more people waiting outside of it. Nana and Romeo to be exact.

"Hey, Vice Captain." Romeo greets me whilst Nana nods in my direction. Romeo turns his head to Ciel. "So why did you ask us to come here?" Now this confuses me. When did Ciel ask them to come to my room? My anxiousness had left me and was replaced with confusion. I had no idea what was going on.

"Dr. Rachel has asked that we give her an up-to-date report about our process and missions. I did ask Gilbert to meet us here as well but he is busy at the moment."

"Why my room?" I had to ask. I was curious as to why she wanted to meet in my room.

"Who better to contact Dr. Rachel than the Vice Captain of Blood. Julius has already been in contact with Dr. Rachel." I guess that explains his absence but surely he has already explained everything to her. Not that I'm complaining. It would be nice to hear from Dr. Rachel again. It has been a while since we've last spoken. However, one thing still intrigues me; why was Ciel nervous?

"Moving on, our last operations have been successful..." Ciel speaks to Dr. Leah through my terminal. I stand close by just in case but it has mainly been Ciel explaining the situation to Dr. Leah this whole team while I watch. Romeo and Nana, located behind us also watch. "Moreover we have not lose any training or operation time due to injury. All of our God Arcs are at peak operating efficiency." Can Ciel please wrap this up. Can she not hear that Romeo and Nana have been whispering to each other whilst she has been explaining. Clearly they are getting bored as well as me. "And our kill counts have grown dramatically. Ms. Licca has requested that we make better use of our advanced teams. Reconnaisance and distant ranging missions..." I stop listening as I hear Nana gasp slightly. I turn my head to look at the two and see Nana covering her ears. Romeo looking on in concern.

"N-No..." It was more audible than a whisper. Surely Ciel heard it. I wonder what is wrong with Nana. She began to sway and I rotated my body completely towards her.

"Nana? Hey, you all right?" Romeo asks in concern. Without warning, Nana sways a lot more before falling into Romeo who manages to catch her.

"Nana?! Come on, stay with me! Nana!" Romeo sounded distressed now and I hate to admit it but I was beginning to feel the same way.

"We need to get her on the bed!" I command as Romeo and I carry her over to it. By now, Ciel has stopped her report and looks towards us.

"What happened?" She asks in concern. Whilst Romeo explains his side of the story, I place Nana's arm that is closest to me at a right angle to her body, bent at the elbow and hand pointing upwards. Then, I place her other hand under her opposite cheek.

"What are you doing?" Romeo asks me. He must have finished explaining to Ciel what the situation was as he now pays attention to me.

"I'm putting her in the recovery position." I state simply as I keep a hold of the hand under her cheek to support her head as I move the leg farthest from me and pull it up so that her knee is bent but her foot is flat on the bed.

"Doesn't that only work after a seizure?" He asks in confusion. In all honesty, I'm probably worrying a bit too much about Nana. It is possible that she just fainted, but if it is anything worse then putting her into this position wouldn't harm her.

"We don't know what she has fainted from. Putting her in this position will not harm her, even if she didn't faint because of a seizure." I tell him, the worry that I had tried to hide was slowly creeping into my voice.

"I suppose it wouldn't hurt. I'll go get a doctor." He says as he rushes towards the door.

"Good idea." I say after him, cementing his idea in case he later thought that it wouldn't be needed. I pull her knee towards me, still supporting her head, to make her roll towards me, making sure to put her bent leg that is now closest to me flat on the bed. In hindsight, it probably wasn't the best idea to put her on the bed to put her in the recovery position. Once finished that, I tilt her head upwards slightly and open her mouth to make sure that nothing is blocking her airways.

"I'll see if I can make it there within an hour." I hear Dr. Rachel speak to Ciel. It seems as though Dr. Rachel will be visiting us, or more specifically Nana, to check on her condition.

It has been about ten minutes since Nana had fainted. Romeo still isn't back with a doctor yet. I assume that they're all busy taking care of the black plague sufferers. Ciel had ended the conversation with Dr. Rachel five minutes ago and informed me that she was on her way. Ciel took her stance beside me as we looked on at Nana, wondering what could have caused her to faint.

"I should have noticed it earlier." I begin speaking after a comfortable minute or so of silence. "I had turned towards her when I first heard her gasp. I should have known then that something was wrong." I was depressed that I let Nana get into this state. I should have noticed that she wasn't feeling okay. I could have done something that would have prevented her from fainting. Even something as simple as a glass of water may have prevented it.

"There was no way that you knew something like this would happen." I listen as Ciel tells me how her condition isn't my fault.

"I know it isn't my fauly that she is in this condition but I'm supposed to look out for the welfare of my team mates. If she had said something beforehand..."

"You know that you couldn't have done anything at the time. If you think you feel bad then how do you think I feel. I ignored her and Romeo as they were whispering and kept ignoring them until after you moved to help." So Ciel feels some guilt as well. At least I know that she did, in fact, hear the two of them whispering but decided to ignore it. Unfortunately, that meant ignoring Nana's fainting.

"Why until after I moved?"

"I thought that you were simply ignoring them as well. So when you moved, I found myself thinking that something was wrong." Ciel explained with a depressed look on her face. I would much rather her have a happy look on her face as depression doesn't look good on her. I would have said something had it not been for a startling movement from the girl lying on my bed. Springing up with a gasp, Nana looks around before her eyes land on us.

"Ah! Vi-Vice Captain, you're... And Ciel..." She speaks as she comes to terms with her surroundings. The two of us can only look on in silence. "I... I collapsed, didn't I?" She asks in a depressed manner. Has she collapsed before? I should probably check the medical records of my team mates just in case somebody has special needs that I am not aware of. For instance, somebody could be asthmatic. "Mm..." Another depressing groan. Is it just a girl thing? I haven't heard any guys groan like that before. "I had a really awful dream." She began curling herself up into a ball. This isn't right. There is definitely something wrong.

"Everything was dark, but I could feel blood and... -"

"It's all right." Ciel interrupts, stepping closer to her in the process. I have to disagree with Ciel's actions here. Maybe this dream had a connection with why she fainted. Wouldn't be better for her to tell us about this dream so we could help her with it? "Perhaps you should lie down a while longer." Ciel offers the extended use of my bed, not that I had a problem with it, while placing her hands on Nana's shoulders, most likely to guide her back down.

"Y-Yeah? Okay. Thank you, Ciel. That does feel better." Nana replies in a hopeful voice before being guided down to a lying position with an arm on her forehead.

"I bet you didn't know Dr. Rachel took me in after my mom died, huh? I was still really little when it happened." Nana depressingly informs us. I guess I now know why Nana doesn't talk about her mother often. "It feels like I've forgotten so much... I think for a long time, it was just mom and me. We musta lived up near the mountains, I guess, 'cause I do remember it snowed lots. She was a God Eater too, so when she left to go and fight Aragami, she's always make me promise. I'd smile and say that I wouldn't cry, and I wouldn't get mad, and if I ever felt lonely, I'd have a super-delicious oden sandwich!" I could feel a smile tugging at my cheeks. She sounded better than she did a few utterances earlier and that was great. "When my tummy was full with my mom's cooking, I wouldn't feel so alone anymore. And she always smiled really big when I ate a lot!" A small chuckle escapes my lips. Ciel has the same reaction. It seemed as though reflecting on her mother makes Nana seem happier than she did when she first awoken after fainting. "Hehehe." She even joins in with the laughing as she sits herself upright. "That's why oden sandwiches make me so happy. They always remind me of being with my mommy. And of the promise I'd make to her." She claps her hands together before jumping up.

"Yes! I feel better! I feel like I need to run!" Maybe a doctor wasn't needed after all. I would still feel better if Romeo would walk in with one now. Or even if Dr. Rachel were to enter. "Or go eat an entire giant sandwich on my own! Hehehe! But more important... Thank you for listening to me." She was very happy now and I like to see Nana feeling this way. She is one of the happier members of Blood. Even those that are not in Blood will be able to feel the difference if she wasn't feeling right.

"Please do be careful, Nana. Perhaps you should go an visit Dr. Rachel for a quick check up. Just in case." Ciel speaks with a more joyous tone. I stand up, being the only one to be sitting feels kinda wrong.

"Ma'am, yes, ma'am!" I chuckle at this, Nana really seems to be back to her old self as told by her salute to Ciel. "I'll go and see her as soon as I've has juuust a little snack. Promise!" She speaks before having a little stretch. "Oden sandwich, here I come!" With that, Nana rushes out of the room.

"It's good to hear her being back to normal." I comment to Ciel who looks towards the door that Nana had left not too long ago.

"Yes, but something's bothering me."

"What's that?" I ask, maybe she shares the same fears and concern for Nana that I do.

"Did Nana faint... because my mission report went on too long...?"


	29. Chapter 29

Chapter 29

DISCLAIMER: I DO NOT OWN THE GOD EATER FRANCHISE HOWEVER I DO OWN MY OC.

Name: Cedrick Esparza

Gender: Male

Hairstyle: Style 7 (Dark Brown)

God Arc: Burning Maiden (Short Blade), Apega Blaze (Sniper Rifle), Kurogane Tower (Shield)

Blood Art: Blood Cascade II

The next day, I had been called into the Branch Director's office. Hibari had informed me that Dr. Rachel was waiting to speak with me and had been for a while. I decided to make it my first priority to see her first. I fully intended to see her anyway just so I could hear her soothing, angelic voice again as I haven't heard it in a long time.

"It's been a while, Cedrick. But to get right to business..." I was sad that Dr. Rachel decided to get straight to business. I wouldn't have minded hearing her beautiful voice ask me directly how the missions went or even made small talk. Still, the only reason she came over to the Far East Branch was to check up on Nana's condition. I can only imagine that whatever she wanted to talk to me about regarded her.

"Have you ever heard of 'God Eater Children?'" I'm afraid I am not accustom to the term but why talk about this if she wanted to talk about Nana? I shake my head from side to side. I would hate to ruin her angelic speech by speaking up to answer her, especially if it can be avoided through yes or no questions.

"God Eater Children are..." She thinks about how to explain this to me. "They're the children of God Eater parents, born with a Bias factor inside them." She informs me and I come to the realisation that I am a God Eater Child. My mother and father were God Eaters therefore it is only logical to assume that I was born with a Bias Factor inside of me as well. This makes me wonder though, if I already had a Bias Factor, why did I need to be injected with another Bias Factor when I first became a God Eater? I might have to look that up in the future. So, did Dr. Rachel only want to talk about me? Did she know that I am a God Eater Child? No, that can't be the only reason. Nana told me about how Dr. Rachel took her in after her mother died. She also said that her mother was a God Eater. Does this mean-

"Nana is a God Eater Child?" I voice my thoughts to Dr. Rachel. The sudden talking about God Eater Children was beginning to make sense now.

"Exactly. She is a God Eater Child. Her mother was a God Eater, but she was orphaned as early as she can remember. Then I took her in." She relays the same information that Nana told me, albeit, Dr. Rachel may not realise that Nana has already told me abot her mother. "She was a girl with an incredible inner strength, and stabilising her Bias Factor took many years." Wait, Nana's Bias Factor had to be stabilised? Do God Eater Children need their Bias Factor to be stabilised before becoming God Eaters? Was my Bias Factor stabilised?

"But now, I think she may have fainted because her Blood Power is beginning to awaken. I want you to support her." Here comes the reason why she wanted to speak with me. "With your power to Evoke, you can see her safely through this ordeal. Your team is as much a family as one bound by blood. Please guide her with your shared strength." With her final words, Dr. Rachel dismissed me and I set about doing today's activities. This included checking the mission schedule.

To what certainly wasn't a pleasant surprise, I found that I had a mission today with all of my Blood Unit, including Nana. Just one day after having fainted, Nana has been scheduled on a mission with us. It isn't exactly an easy mission either. The mission called "Chain Reaction" tells us of numerous smaller Aragami being led by a Chi-You. By killing the Chi-You, it should be easy to kill the smaller Aragami as their leader will have been defeated. Will Nana be able to manage?

Nana's POV

"I'm sorry to call you in just before a mission, Nana." Dr. Rachel spoke to me and sounded genuinely apologetic. Just before me and my team were about to head off for our mission, Dr. Rachel insisted we had a talk. We ended up travelling all the way back to her Laboratory on Friar with the promise that I would later be dropped off at the mission destination, the Tranquil Temple. I fidget slightly on the couch as Dr. Rachel speaks to me.

"How are you feeling?" If I was to answer honestly, it would be that I was nervous for having this talk.

"Pretty okay, I guess." I wasn't lying. I was feeling nervous but that was just about this talk, otherwise I would be fine, other than, "Well... Sometimes I get really bad headaches though. And I mean... *sigh*" Could I tell her?

"Yes? You can tell me anything, Nana." Dr. Rachel was concerned for me. I feel like I could tell her anything. She has been caring for me ever since she took me in, after my mom died.

"I've been thinking about my mom a lot lately." She had been on my mind for a long time. "But when I try to remember something really specific," as if on reflex, my hands cradle my head, "like: her eyes, or her laugh, I get these really sharp pains and..."

"I see. Are you taking any medicine to help?"

"Yeah, a little." Dr. Rachel had given me tablets before to help prevent against these tyoes of headaches but they never work 100% of the time.

"Hmm... Nana, I believe this is a sign that your blood is stirring." What did Dr. Rachel mean by that?

"Stirring? Like how?" I took my hands away from my head as I looked towards her for an answer.

"It's calling out, growing as a manifestation of your will. If you suppress these emotions, your power may never wake." Dr. Rachel certainly seems to know what she is talking about. "Nana, you are a strong, brave, wonderful girl. I know you have to courage to face your past... to face yourself." My eyes widen in realisation that she may be right. I repeat her wise words,

"To face myself... Nngh!" As I repeated Dr. Rachel's words, I felt a pang of pain in my head which caused me to reflexively place my hands on my head in an attempt to prevent it.

"Nana, over here!" I could hear a voice. I know I've heard this voice before.

"Mommy!" That was my voice! A younger me but still my voice! I was shouting for my mom. The first voice must have been hers! I remember clutching onto my mother as fearsome beasts began walking towards us.

"No! We're surrounded!" My mom shouted before an image suddenly crossed my mind. It was an image of my mother, lying on the ground in front of me and she wasn't moving an inch. Her chest had stopped moving, telling me she had stopped breathing. All I could do was cry as I sat in front of her, screaming her name and hoping it was all just a bad dream.

"Mom! Mommy!"

"Ah!" I snapped back out of my trance and had to refocus on my surroundings. I remember that I am in Dr. Rachel's Laboratory.

"Nana, are you well?" I don't look at her face but the concern in her voice is plain to see.

"Yeah... I'm okay... At least, I think I am." The flashback was so sudden and it was a memory I didn't want to relive. But I did.

"Perhaps you should take it easy for a while. Worry not, I'm sure Blood can handle this mission without you." I couldn't agree to that. I can't let my problems get in the way of fighting for my team.

"No, it's okay..." I replied maybe a little too quickly, "I'll go. Just in case." I speak. Dr. Rachel seems as though she wants to protest but decides not to, thankfully.

Cedrick's POV

Having just landed on the battlefield, we are already confronted by Aragami. A total of six Aragami which includes three Ogretails, two Fallen Ogretails and the leader of the pack, a Chi-You, begin swarming towards us.

"So, any suggestions how we take these guys down?" Romeo asks in slight worry. The numbers must scare him but there is only one more Aragami than there is of us.

"Like Hibari said, take down the leader and the rest should fall." Gilbert comments as he reminds us of Hibari's words before we left for the mission.

"There's too much Aragami to focus on just the leader. Somebody will have to take on the leader whilst the others defeat the smaller Aragami." Ciel chips in with a logical argument.

"Vice Captain, can I trust you to defeat the Chi-You?" Julius, the Captain, asks me. Preferably, I would rather kill the smaller Aragami. Out of all the Aragami that I know of, the Chi-You line of Aragami is my most hated. My attacks never seem to do much damage to them, probably because I use a small sword as my melee weapon but even my bullets don't seem to do much damage.

"I don't think that's a good idea. I'm not equipped to handle the Chi-You." I had enough time to prepare for the mission but hoped that somebody else would take the responsibility to defeat it. "I could still defeat it but it may take a while." I didn't exactly refuse the Captain, I just gave my opinion.

"That's all right. I'll take care of the Chi-You. We don't know how much Aragami this one is the leader of." Thus I took his job and he took mine. I would defeat some of the smaller Aragami and keep command of the team whilst he is busy with the Chi-You. I'll have to thank him later.

With another swipe, the last Ogretail within my eyesight has been defeated. Now I am stuck with either helping Julius who has since made the Aragami retreat and decided to follow it, or follow my other team members to defeat the smaller Aragami.

"Incoming!" I look up to see a person in a familiar set of clothing falling from a height of 15 metres in the air. "Nana reporting for duty, sir!" She gives a salute before awaiting my orders.

"It's good to see you're here, Nana." I speak to her and earn a smile in response. The roar of a few Aragami quickly reminds me of our situation. "Nana, follow this pathway" I gesture with my hand to the right of me, "and meet up with the others. There should be some smaller Aragami to take care of if you are feeling up to it."

"Right!" She gives me a determined smirk before running off in that direction. I guess now that they have some cover, I can give Julius a hand. I set off along the opposite way that Nana did. That was the way that I had seen Julius running in before when he had made the Aragami retreat.

It was a good job I decided to give Julius some back up. Other than the Chi-You, there were two Fallen Ogretails near his location. I ran towards them instantly.  
"Back up has arrived!" I announce my arrival. I remember what happened the last time that I didn't announce my arrival. Ciel had shot me with a bullet, thankfully it was a bullet that could detect friend from foe. I'm not sure if Julius had the same type of bullets but I didn't want to risk my body to find out.

"Thank you." He speaks and resumes his main job of taking out the Chi-You. I, on the other hand, take the two Fallen Ogretails off of his hit list.

The first Fallen Ogretail falls after a few hits but the remaining one is more durable. I had, without a doubt, hit this beast more times than I had hit more difficult Aragami and it still wouldn't fall. After two more swipes, it began to run away. At the same time, so did the Chi-You that Julius was fighting.

"That's twice it has tried to get away from you." I comment as we run alongside each other, following the beasts that had tried to evade us, and thus death.

"You're welcome to take on the next one. Let's see how many times it runs away from you." That sounds like a challenge to me. I'll have to take him up on it.

We continue following the Aragami until they make a stop in the same place as the rest of the team. Thankfully, there hadn't seemed to be any injuries as the four of them, Gilbert, Romeo, Nana and Ciel, are all teaming up against the one Ogretail in the area. Gilbert splits off from this main group as soon as he sees the Chi-You in the area. Julius also runs to the Chi-You as he looks to finish what he started. I look to do the same thing and shoot the Fallen Ogretail a few times. When it falls down defeated, I ask myself why I never thought about shooting it when it tried to escape if it only needed a few shots to kill it. Regardless, with three people all ready killing the remaining Ogretail, I assist the other two in killing the Chi-You.

"Blood Alpha calling in. Target eliminated." Julius speaks into his earpiece. It had been a few more minutes since I shot the Fallen Ogretail. The other Ogretail fell quickly and then it was six of us against the one Chi-You. With a final roar, it fell to the ground where Julius extracted its core.

"Confirmed. Target eliminated." Hibari speaks in a congratulatory voice but it suddenly changes to a negative voice which gives us bad information. "No. This is... All nearby Aragami have altered course! They're coming straight for you! Six, seven... No, almost a dozen massive ones in the group! They're shadowed by aa while legion of little ones!" That was definitely bad news.

"And now our escape route has been blockaded... We'll just have to cut our way through!" No sooner does he say this that a small herd of ten Ogretails come to our area. Thus begins a very long, exhausting battle.

"There are far too many engaged." Julius speaks up after a while of fighting.

"Multiple Aragami are rerouting to your location! I'm moving the 1st Unit to support. Just hold out a little longer." Hibari informs us. At least we're getting some support through this.

"Begin a staggered retreat. This battle is lost. Disperse if you must, just get back to the Far East." Captain Julius demands in a hastily commanding voice.

Nana's POV

"Maybe you should fall back, Nana! Didn't Dr. Rachel tell you to take it easy?" Romeo suggets to me. I appreciate his concern but I want to keep fighting for all of my friends.

"I'll clear a path!" I look towards Captain Julius as he says this, "Nana, you're up first. Make a run for it on your own. Don't worry we'll catch up." I refused to believe what he was telling me. I looked towards the Vice Captain who only nodded in response. He agreed with Captain Julius.

"R-Run...? On my... I can't go alone!" I remember what my mother said to me as she was close to death,

"Nana... I need you to run. You have to go alone. It'll be okay. I... I promise." I snap back out of my trance. All I could think about was my mother and how she had fought off the Aragami by herself. She died fighting. What if the same thing happened to my team mates? I escape and they die? I don't want that.

"M-Mommy?" I whimper out before another memory crosses my mind. It was straight after my mother had breathed her last breath. I was crying over her dead body. The Ogretails around us having been killed by my mother before she was taken as well. I felt a hand on my shoulder and somebody talking to me before the ground shook plenty of times. I look up briefly to see more monsters around me. I could only continue crying. I could hear one of the monsters coming a lot closer to me. The ground shook as it walked in my direction. I look up to see that somebody had defeated the beast with one swipe of their God Arc. The same person ran to me, placing a hand on my shoulder but my tears would not stop.

"You'll be okay. Don't worry." He speaks reassuringly but the monster behind him didn't seem to be thinking the same thing as it aimed its gun at us. I'm not sure what happened after that but my next flashback shows all of the monsters having been defeated. Unfortunately, the God Eaters had also been defeated. I was the only one still alive and could only keep crying as more people died in front of me. I may not have known them but I felt responsible for their deaths.

"So, it was you who summoned them..." I remember hearing a voice and looking up to see a woman dressed in black and in a wheelchair. A person I know now to be Dr. Rachel. Those were the only words I could remember before reality kicked in again.

Cedrick's POV

I noticed that Nana seemed to be having another breakdown.

"I didn't mean to. It's my fault the Aragami found us... My fault that Mommy... Mom!" Nana crumbles to the ground and cries, almost shouting to the hevens that she was upset.

"What is that? *gasp* A Bias Field disruption!" Hibari speaks but I didn't really care. I had already rushed to Nana's side.

"An intense Bias Field pulse has been fired at Blood Alpha! More Aragami incoming!" Hibari informs us, by this time I already have a hand on her shoulder. Trying to get the horrible sound she is making to stop. It is always bad to hear somebody cry, it seems even worse to see a girl cry.

"Her Blood Power... It's spiralling out of control!" Now that Julius mentions it, I do see a reddish glow surrounding the area.

"1st Unit to Blood Special Forces! Come in, Blood! We've cleared a path! Are you guys still alive in there?!" Kota's voice comes through our earpieces.

"Come on, Nana. Let's get you back." I spoke to her and wormed her arm around my neck, making sure to lean her against me.

"Of course we're alive! It's Nana! She's...!" Romeo trails off as he looks at us.

"I've just sent over the escape route, do you think you can make it?" That was Erina's voice.

"Yes, it's possible. Thanks for the help. Vice Captain," Julius looks over to me and I already know what to do. "take Nana and fall back immediately! Go, now!" Nana is in no condition to carry her God Arc. We're just going to have to hope that it can be recovered. I lift Nana to her feet and lead us down the path we were directed in. I carry my Arc in my left hand in case an Aragami gets too close. A few metres down the path, I am forced to swipe at a few Ogretails that I think have gotten too close.

"I'll take care of that, my good sir!" Emil comments before rushing to make sure that the Aragami won't pester us.

As we approach the Outer Ghetto, Nana is really weighing down on me. It's hard to carry her on my side and my God Arc using my left hand. I'll have to ditch my Arc. I drop my God Arc and use my now free left arm to pick Nana up and run back to the Den. When I get there, I meet Dr. Sakaki who tells me to immediately put her in the spare room attached to his laboratory. I do as he asks as he unlocks the door to the spare room before taking a brief look around the room. The walls are adorned with colourful child-like drawings but that is enough ogling. I need to get my Arc and help my team out!


	30. Chapter 30

Chapter 30

DISCLAIMER: I DO NOT OWN THE GOD EATER FRANCHISE HOWEVER I DO OWN MY OC.

Name: Cedrick Esparza

Gender: Male

Hairstyle: Style 7 (Dark Brown)

God Arc: Burning Maiden (Short Blade), Apega Blaze (Sniper Rifle), Kurogane Tower (Shield)

Blood Art: Blood Cascade II

Nana's POV

A large, earthshaking bump knocks me out of my dreamland.

"Mom?!" I was thinking about my mother but that quickly changed once I had realised that I had woken in a room that wasn't mine. The walls were white with childish drawings on them. The ceiling shared the same colour. As did the bed, sheets and floor. Whoever had used this room before must have found it to be pretty boring and decided to draw on the walls to make the place look more personalised.

"All units, be advised: Aragami have infiltrated the Outer Ghetto. Third Defence Line, signal withdrawal. First Line, fall back." I hear Hibari's voice through the speakers in the room. I hadn't noticed them before. I don't know how as they are rather large. I must have been too occupied with the whiteness of the room. I get up from the bed. I was beginning to worry. Aragami had breached the Anti-Aragami Wall? Is it possible that they followed me here? I know that Cedrick brought me in here but I feel asleep soon after. Where is he? Where is Blood?

"Nana? Can you hear me? Are you all right?" I hear the director ask but there are more important things than my well-being to worry about.

"Director Sakaki! What's going on? Did the Aragami get inside?! I didn't mean to summon them, it just happened. Was... Was this me?" I speak with worry lacing my voice I'm pretty sure I'm on the verge of tears as well.

"No. Absolutely not, Nana The 6th district's outer wall is merely old and crumbling. That's how they broke in." He answers me but despite what he says, I know it is my fault. I had brought the Aragami towards us when my unit were out on the battlefield and now I've brought them to the Far East Branch now that I'm in this room. "Nana, I need you to stay put, all right? It's very dangerous in the Far East right now. It's imperative that you not join the battle, understood?" How did he expect me to not help out? Surely there must be something to do. I should probably have more trust in my team mates. I have just had a mental breakdown after all. They probably won't want me out on the battlefield where I can get in the way.

"O-Okay... I'll stay." I speak reluctantly and I'm sure Director Sakaki knows that.

"Just stay where you are. We'll be with you soon." I don't hear from him again and I decide to sit on the bed, looking down at the floor. Despite what Director Sakaki says, I know this is my doing. I had unknowingly called for the Aragami. I remember Julius saying that my Blood Power was spiralling out of control. This is a Blood Power? This isn't useful at all! How can I help my unit in battle now?! I can't give strength boosts like Captain Julius and Gilbert. I can't help others awaken their Blood Power like Vice Captain Cedrick. My Blood Power is useless! Actually... Maybe it isn't.

I'm not sure how, but I had managed to sneak out of the room that I was being held in. Director Sakaki wasn't around which gave me enough time to sneak out and rush towards the lower levels of the Den where all of the vehicles were kept, after obtaining my God Arc. I had a plan. If bringing the Aragami to the Far East Branch was my doing, then maybe I can make them go away! I had managed to sneak into a large car that belonged to the branch and drove out. I could see the chaos and destruction I had caused just by being here. Houses were completely destroyed and I saw more than a few revolting sights of Aragami eating some of the residents. I knew that after drawing these monsters away from the branch, I won't be able to return otherwise the same thing could happen again. Thankfully, as I drove past the Aragami, they all took notice of me and began to follow. Director Sakaki said there had been a breach in the 6th district's outer wall. I will just need to find the breach where the Aragami are all getting in and escape from it. I had never driven a vehicle before so I was obviously reckless when I was driving . Thankfully, I knew the basics like what pedals do what and how to steer the car. It wouldn't be long before I saw a large tiger-like Aragami heading towards me. A Vajra. I had to swerve out of the way of it before continuing along the same path. The Vajra was following me now and so were a lot of smaller Aragami.

Eventually, I had lost control of the vehicle. It had only happened as soon as I got on the ice at the Tranquil Temple but I had almost crashed into a man-made structure. Being at the Tranquil Temple means that I am quite a distance away from the Far East Branch. It is here that I will defeat all of the Aragami that had dared to threaten my friends. It is their fault that I can never face my friends again for fear of my Blood Power spiralling out of control and endangering my friends' lives. I jump out of the vehicle with my God Arc in hand. I run forward into a more open area. Had I have stayed at the vehicle, it would have restricted my movement. It takes only a few seconds for the first Aragami to appear. An Ogretail. In another few seconds, it is joined by more. They roar at me but a louder roar from behind me cancels out their roars. I turn around to see what caused the louder roar. It was the Vajra. It had caught up!

Amazingly, I had managed to give the Vajra the slip and continued a barrage of attacks on the smaller Aragami. As one would fall, two more would arrive. Or so it seemed. I bring my hammer down on the last one in my eyesight before swinging my Arc, taking the Ogretail off of its feet and several metres away from me.

"There's so many..." I manage to speak through my exhausted pants, "What am I supposed to do now?" I was beginning to panic more. The wave of Aragami never seemed to become thinner. As proved by an Ogretail sneaking up behind me.

"Okay, one at a time." This I can manage. If I had to defeat several Aragami at once, I my have been a goner. "Mommy... I need your strength. I won't let any of them get hurt because of me. Mom, I need you with me."

Cedrick's POV

Julius, Romeo and I had split off from Ciel and Gilbert to form two separate groups to find Nana. It just so happens that we managed to find her. An Ogretail jumps in her direction and Romeo shoots a Blaze Bullet at it, causing it to change its direction as it takes the bullet.

"Don't worry, Nana, we're with you too." Julius speaks up, announcing our arrival.

"What?!" Nana was surprised to see us and I was surprised at her surprise. Did she think that we'd let her fend for herself? "Wh-Why are you here? Run! You can;t be near me!" As Nana expresses her worry, I speak to Ciel and Gilbert through my earpiece to tell them that we had found Nana as well as our location.

"We'll be all right. You did good work drawing them off from the Den." Julius continues speaking as he readies himself for a battle. Romeo had already ran a bit further ahead, opting to take care of the Ogretail that had come a little too close for comfort. After I had spoken to Gilbert and Ciel through the earpiece, I came into contact with Hibari as well to inform her of the exact same thing I informed the other two about. She tracks my signal and finds Nana's not too far away from me. She cuts off connection with me and I see Nana reach for her earpiece. It is clear to see that Hibari must have gotten in contact with Nana. In the meantime, I take to fending off the Aragami that had followed us through the way that we found Nana. It was just a few Ogretails. Nothing more.

"Blood Beta reporting in. We're making progress." I can hear Gilbert through my earpiece as he informs us that the Aragami's numbers are slowly decreasing.

"You guys!" Nana expresses in worry before a pained shout from Romeo brings our attention to him. I am yet to speak with Nana, mainly because I am trying to conceal the present that I have for her within my jacket.

"Romeo?! Are you all right? Can you stand?" Nana's worry was clear, I bet Romeo feels bad about making her sound like that.

"We're good. I'm good. No worries. It doesn't matter how many we have to fight. After all, Blood can do anything. So no matter what... If you want to cry, Nana, it's okay. You cry your heart out." I didn't think Romeo was one for emotional words but it seemed to have the desired effect. "All right! Let's rock this, guys!" He speaks before rushing back into battle. I had already taken care of the Aragami I needed to so I decided to speak to Nana now. I place a hand on her shoulder and offer my signature smile.

"We're here for you, Nana. We're a team. A family. And family don't leave each other behind." That was all I could say. I may not have did as good a job as Romeo in cheering her up but still, at least I tried.

"Julius, Romeo," I get into contact with them on my earpiece. "There are four of us here and only two elsewhere. I'm going to find Ciel and Gilbert to even the numbers." I announce my plans and receive a nod from Romeo and acknowledgement from Julius. With that, I set off the way we came. I managed to hear Nana's motivational speech to herself though.

"Vice Captain... All of you... You came when I needed you. You faced all this for me... Everyone, I'm with you. We'll fight side-by-side!" That was all I could hear before I was out of earshot.

I rushed back the way that Julius, Romeo and I travelled and headed to the point where we had split up. I followed the path that Gilbert and Ciel had travelled and soon found them engaged in battle with a Vajra and a few smaller Aragami. Gilbert seemed to be doing a decent job in soloing the Vajra so I decided to help Ciel who seemed to be struggling a bit. I'm not surprised though, there were five Zygotes around her.

"Back up has arrived!" I announce my arrival so that the two aren't surprised when they see the Zygotes dropping like flies.

"Cedrick?!" Ciel asks in surprise.

"I thought you were with Julius and Romeo?!" Gilbert speaks what he can whilst trying to evade a long distance electric attack from the Vajra.

"I'm here to even the numbers!" I shout before I jump and take a few accurate swings at the Zygote in front of me. I had seen Ciel shooting that Zygote before I showed up so I am unsurprised that it falls to the ground after my attack. It takes a few more swings before it dies though.

"All right! You think you can help me over here?!" Gilbert shout as narrowly avoids the swinging arm of the Vajra. With one final swing at another Zygote, which falls to the floor, I run over to help Gilbert with the Vajra. There were now three Zygotes that Ciel had to deal with which will be easier than the five she would have had had I not been here. I swipe at the Vajra's front leg before it recoils. I don't relent though as I keep slashing in its direction. Sometimes hitting its face and sometimes hitting its leg.

"Evade!" I hear Gilbert shout a bit too late before a circle of electricity surrounds the Vajra and I. All I can do is deploy my shield to prevent the electricity from reaching the front of my body where my vital organs are. Unfortunately, this does not stop against the electricity that hits my back as well as my legs.

"Gah!" I shout in pain as I crumple to the ground. The pain doesn't last too long though as someone, presumably Gilbert since Ciel has her hands full with the Zygotes, shoots a recovery bullet in my direction.

"Thanks!"

"Dodge when I tell you too next time!" Gilbert almost scolds me. I would retort that he warned me a bit late but I suppose it is my fault for not observing the Aragami's actions. I back step a few times before changing to my Arc's Gun Form. I launch four Blaze type bullets, one after another, before switching back to Melee Form.

"Hit it in the face again!" I shout to Gil as I hatch a plan to defeat the monster. He complies and I rush under the monster as it recoils, setting up a paralysis attack before moving out of the way of the beast. One movement is all it will take for the Vajra to be- And there it is.

"Extract the core!" I shout to Gilbert before rushing back to help Ciel. She had already defeated two more of the Zygotes and, with our combined effort, the last one falls to the ground soon after.

After defeating the Aragami, we had rushed back to where Julius, Romeo and I had found Nana and found them still engaged with an Ogretail. I was thinking about shooting it but couldn't risk the friendly fire so instead opted to help melee attack it. It went down a few seconds after we all started hitting it. Romeo extracted its core as we all breathed a sigh of relief that the onslaught on the Far East was over.

"Thank you... All of you." Nana speaks gratuitously before stumbling for her words, "But.. I... I mean..." Ciel had walked closer to her in the process, looking to almost pitifully at Nana but had a smile on her face that suggested that whatever Nana was about to say was wrong. "I'm so sorry, you guys. I didn't mean to call the Aragami, I swear... I messed up everything and..." She was beginning to sound as though she was tearing up. Luckily, Romeo cuts her rambling off.

"What? You don't need to worry, Nana! We're your friends. When you're with us, you can cry with everything you've got." I couldn't agree more.

"But all of this is because of me..." She still doubts herself. I place a hand on her shoulder, making sure to give her my most sincere smile.

"We are one big family, Nana. And it's not just me that feels like that. We all feel like we're a family." I look to the others, "Right guys?" just to make sure that she didn't think that only I thought that way, I had to ask the others. There was a collective response, all of which were a positive "yes" or "of course". It was finally time to give her her present. It was her favourite. An oden sandwich. I had to wrap it up in a clear bag so that it didn't become dirty whilst I hid it from her in my jacket. I had taken the liberty of disassembling one of her other oden sandwiches that she keeps in a large sack and had decided to make one from fresh. I had slaved over it for a while back at the Den when I found myself with a bit of time to relax after having defeated a ton of Aragami surrounding the Anti-Aragami Wall. At the time, I thought this would help Nana realise how important she is to Blood and how important this sandwich is to her. Now though, I have to hide my nerves as I don't know if she will understand my gesture. She looks at the sandwich before looking back at me, into my eyes. I think she is trying to understand the gesture, hopefully she does. I take my hand off of her shoulder as she takes the oden sandwich from my other hand, raising it to her mouth before taking a bite.

"Hehe... It's cold." She giggles as she breaks the silence. "But.. It tastes great. It's perfect. It's absolutely perfect." She looks to me as she comments on it. I must admit that I feel happy that she finds my cooking to be 'perfect'. "Thank you." As she expresses her gratitude, I can almost hear that her blood has calmed through the tone of her voice. No longer were any Aragami trying to attack us. Everything had been returned to normal.

Back at the Far East Branch, there were no more Aragami around. The repairing of the outer wall was set as first priority but we, as God Eaters, were given a break. Our part was complete. We had defended the Den and, most of, the citizens that reside here. Now it was up to maintenance to fix the wall. Upon entering the Den, Nana was greeted back by many of the God Eaters. I will always remember her comment on the ride back here,

"Maybe you can make my sandwiches from now on." It was a simple sentence but it held a lot of meaning. For her and for me.

I had just gotten to relax in the lounge before somebody walks over to me. The same person that thrown the responsibility of teaching Kanon onto me: Haruomi. He takes a seat next to me on the couch.

"I'm always noticing how hard you work. I really admire that!" He suddenly speaks and draws my attention. "Take my advice. I've been doing this a long time. You need to take a breather every now and then!" I couldn't agree more. "So how about joining me for a drink?" He points to the stools a little bit away from us.

"Okay, if you're paying." Be drinks I assume that he knows I am under the legal age for drinking alcohol. Nevertheless, I agree that I need a break.

"Of course. It's my treat! Let's go!"


	31. Chapter 31 - Private talk?

Chapter 31

DISCLAIMER: I DO NOT OWN THE GOD EATER FRANCHISE HOWEVER I DO OWN MY OC.

Name: Cedrick Esparza

Gender: Male

Hairstyle: Style 7 (Dark Brown)

God Arc: Burning Maiden (Short Blade), Apega Blaze (Sniper Rifle), Kurogane Tower (Shield)

Blood Art: Blood Cascade II

We moved towards the stools Haruomi had pointed at and asked Mutsumi to prepare two drinks. I'm not sure exactly what he ordered but whatever it was, we were both having it.

"I've been on a mission with Kanon." He draws my attention, "I'd have never imagined that you'd give her an Oracle reserve." He comments on my good deed for Kanon.

"Her training is far from over." I had to reassure that I hadn't finished training Kanon. "I decided to let Kanon test out the results of her Oracle reserve for a while. How was she, on the mission? Does she still have the friendly fire problem?" I was curious at this. If she no longer had this problem then there'd be no need to keep training. I knew what the answer would be though so I didn't get my hopes up of dropping my teaching responsibilities. A part of me feels like I won't be able to communicate with Kanon if it wasn't as her instructor. I've even gotten used to hearing her call me that. Mutsumi returns with our drinks just before Haruomi answers me. He pays for the drinks before he does answer.

"Yeah, she still has the friendly fire problem." He speaks with a chuckle, leaning his head backwards to look towards the ceiling. "'though it's not as bad as it once once. Maybe that Oracle reserve actually did her some good." He chuckles again as the conversation ends. I take a drink of whatever he ordered. I allow the liquid to stand in my mouth for a few seconds to analyse the taste. It was kind of fruity but it is not something I would drink too often. I definitely wouldn't buy it.

"Even now, this world is full of people." I look to Haruomi as he speaks, seemingly already having decided the topic. "There are so many, and yet they all fit into two neatly defined categories. I have this... Idea, about all that. The concept is constantly turning over in my mind." Haruomi took a tone that I never thought he could ever have. All I can describe it as is philosophic. Does that mean he has philosophic thoughts? What are these two categories of people. "And I want you to help me refine it." He wants my help? I'm not really the philosophical type. Don't get me wrong, I am very interested in philosophy but never took it upon myself to look into it. "But first, I need to ask you something. Man-to-man." He places his arm on the table as he turns to look me directly in the eye.

"When you look upon a beautiful woman, tell me, where do your eyes fall?" He asks me in such a serious voice that I find myself surprised by the question and the sudden change in topic. He was being philosophical before, right? It wasn't just my imagination? How did we suddenly get onto this topic? Nevertheless, I suppose I should answer him. He did buy me this, albeit badly tasting, drink. I can at least humour him. I think back to my first meetings with some of the women in my life and what I noticed first. When I met Nana, my eyes were drawn to her breasts. They were, and still are, hardly covered. Next, I suppose would be when I met Ciel. Although hers are covered, the sheer size of her breasts had attracted my attention. The same could be said during my first meeting with Alisa, although her breasts weren't properly covered.

"Her breasts!" I speak confidently with a smile on my face as I do so. You know, I've never talked to another guy about this sort of stuff before, I have to admit that it is pretty fun.

"Heh... So young." Wait, what? He didn't like my answer?

"So where do you look?" I ask him, almost irritated at his easy dismissal of my answer.

"It is the legs!" Haruomi gives me his opinion with a lot more confidence than I had when I gave him mine.

"The legs?" I repeat. What's so great about that?

"True passion is in the legs, covered by the thin fabric of knee socks. Oooh!" He has such a clear picture in his mind and he describes it almost perfectly enough to make me imagine it as well. His grunt at the end only backs up how strongly he feels about the subject.

"Knee socks?" It was a bit of a broad term. I needed more details if I needed to imagine what he finds attractive on a woman.

"Technically, 'over-the-knee' socks and 'thigh-highs' but they all fall in the same category. That absolute zone. The perfect hint of bare thigh between socks and the hem of the skirt." He was becoming so passionate about the subject that his descriptions were becoming very refined. I could imagine the exact thing he is talking about. While I admit that it is quite an appealing aspect, I still think that a woman's breasts are the best part. "Like rosy fingered dawn spreading her rays on the horizon. Pure, unfettered perfection. Isn't it lovely?" He hums, having just explained his opinion. When do I get to explain mine to him?

"It's not bad." I comment with the intention of continuing but Haruomi interrupts.

"Then it's settled. I'll find us a perfect example. We'll all go on a mission. You'll witness the Holy Grail!" He comments before guzzling down the rest of his drink. Does he intend to leave already?

"Mutsumi?" I call and get her attention. She was doing something else around the other side of the bar. "Can I get another or my friend here?" Haruomi looks on in surprise as Mutsumi whips up another drink.

"Dude, what are you doing?" He lazes into his seat as he knows it would be rude to leave with a drink that I had just bought him. The tables have turned. It's his turn to humour me.

"Look over there." I point in the direction of Nana who was near the pool table. Haruomi follows my finger in the direction.

"Nana? What's so good about her?" No doubt he comments that since she does not wear thigh-highs.

"Look at her chest. The tank top shows just enough skin that you can't help but wonder what is underneath it." A small blush appears on my face as I realise that I already have seen what's underneath. "Don't you just want to see more?" I turn towards him, face like a cheshire cat as I wait for his response.

"I don't get what's so good about it." He speaks with such a straight face that I almost doubt his sexuality before remembering his tastes. I grumble before finding a new target.

"Look at Ciel." I point towards her, she was sitting underneath the window in the back of the room facing towards us.

"You can see that her breasts, whilst covered, are very large. They show that she has grown into a proper woman. The shadow that her breasts cast are also quite erotic. It makes them seem a lot larger. Wouldn't you like to see her in something a bit more sexy?" I attempt to explain to him again the joys of the female chest.

"I wonder what Ciel would look like in thigh-highs. Do you think you can ask her to wear some someday?" I look at him incredulously. I've been trying to teach him the happiness that a female's chest can give a man but he looks at their legs? A louder grumble escapes me before I look around the lounge to see for somebody else that could make his eyes widen. When my eyes fall upon a woman, I have an idea.

"Kanon's in you unit right? Tell me, have you ever caught a glimpse of her underarms at any point?" I have a sly grin on my face as Haruomi racks his brain for an answer.

"I can't say that I have." Well, that wasn't the answer I was expecting but I'm not going to give up.

"Well, you've seen her outfit. It's sleeveless: meaning that her underarms are exposed and thus you can see a little bit of boob, right?" I ask him, almost plead with him to say yes. When he doesn't an idea formulates in my head.

"Mutsumi, can I have a canned drink?" She retrieves it without another word and after I pay it...

"Kanon!" I shout to get her attention, she currently stands not too far away from the piano. When she looks in my direction,

"Watch Kanon, Haruomi." I whisper to him before shouting to Kanon, "Catch!" I throw the drink over to Kanon and deliberately aim about a metre above her head, forcing her to move her arms upwards to catch it and show a little bit of breast.

"Did you see that?" I ask Haruomi in an excited manner.

"What's this for, Instructor?!" Kanon shouts from her position, having grabbed the drink and holding it in front of her chest.

"An energy boost, Kanon! Take it! It's on me!" I shout an excuse back at her, not bothering to look at her as I wait for Haruomi's response.

"I didn't realise how perverted you were, Cedrick." He smiles, hopefully he had gotten a good luck at Kanon's exposed skin. Truthfully, I could say the same thing about him. "But the legs are still better." He adds that he still hasn't given up on the legs. Just like I haven't given up on the breasts.

"Well, I'll find us a great example for a mission tomorrow. Get some rest, Cedrick. When you see the woman I have in mind, you'll wonder how you never noticed them before." He speaks after he drinks the rest of his drink and leaves. I doubt he would organise a mission just so he can prove to me the things I am missing by only focusing on women's breasts. Nevertheless, I should probably get out of this perverted mindset. I wouldn't want to think like this all of the time.

The next morning, when I walk into the lounge, I didn't expect to see Haruomi with a God Eater I have never seen before. He waves me over.

"Introductions are in order. This is Carrie." He introduces her and I give her a look over. The woman wears a waitress outfit that covers her not-so-large breasts. Although, I am a man that doesn't define a woman by the size of her breast. She is still quite a pretty God Eater. I'm sure Haruomi is thinking the same due to her over-the-knee socks.

"A pleasure to meet you. I'm Carrie Yu. Just came over from the Singapore Branch." She speaks eloquently it reminds me of Emil's speech patterns. I just hope that she isn't the female version of him.

"I am Cedrick Esparza, Vice Captain of Blood Special Forces. It's nice to meet you." It had been a while since I had to formally introduce myself. It feels good to do it every once in a while.

"How do you know her, Haruomi?" It may have seemed rude but I have never seen this woman around here before. The two look at each other before Haruomi answers me.

"We've only just met, actually. She's here in the Far East on leave." A holiday, huh? I'm not sure why she'd choose this place but it is her choice. Maybe there's something around here that is famous. "She was ecstatic when I told her the plan. She extended her leave and had her God Arc sent right over." Something tells me that Haruomi didn't tell her the real plan of showing me the joys of thigh-highs.

"I've wanted to visit the Far East ever since I was a kid. I used to love the Bugarally show." Her accent makes it clear that she is not local. Nevertheless, I've never heard of Bugarally. The fact that she mentions it means that it was based in the Far East, right? "So, I came!" She speaks with a happy smile. She seems like a joy to be with. In this way, she isn't like Emil.

"That's the long and short of it. Everyone ready to get going?" Haruomi brings us back on track.  
"I'll just need my God Arc then I'll be good to go." I answer before heading off to retrieve it.

The ride to the City of Mercy was a pleasant one. Carrie had told us more about herself as well as the type of Aragami that show up in that area. She told us that there aren't a lot of large Aragami but they definitely have their fair share in medium-sized Aragami like the Kongou family line. Which makes this mission against a Kongou almost routine for her. The three of us have since decided to search for the Aragami in teams. I was one team whilst Haruomi and Carrie were another. We had split up a while ago and hadn't ran into any Aragami yet.

"Cedrick, we've spotted a few Ogretails. We'll take care of them. If you find the Kongou you can start without us." He informs me before the line is dropped, most likely because he started fighting the Ogretails.

A short walk later, I find the primary target. The Kongou seemed to be strolling around and was about to enter a building through a large hole. Deciding that it would be better to fight the Aragami in an open space, I switch to my Arc's Gun Form and fire a few bullets at it. The bullets hit it successfully and look to do more damage than they usually do; meaning that the Kongou is either weaker than normal, my Arc has gotten stronger, or the bullets have become more effective. Possibly a mix of the three. It turns towards me and I change my Arc back to Melee Form. I had ran out of Oracle Points so I would have to wait for it to replenish. The Aragami closes its limbs into its body and rolls towards me. A simple side step sees me avoid the attack whilst the Aragami hits itself against the wall of the chapel that I had recently emerged from. In its minor stun, I take the chance to assault the tail of the Aragami with a few rapid strikes before switching back into Gun Form to fire a Blaze bullet at the beast. The Kongou turns around just before I fire it and it is hit straight in the face, stunning it again. I rapidly switch back to Melee Form and manage to get away two slashes at its face before it snaps out of the stun. The beast then suddenly stands on its back legs before crashing down in a belly flop on the ground. The shockwave from the attack sends me flying backwards by about five metres. Thankfully, I had managed to land on my feet and rushed towards the beast where I set up a paralysis trap right in front of the Aragami as it slowly got to its feet. I step backwards so that I'm not too close to the Aragami but it still tries to attack me by swinging its arm in my direction. Before it can connect, the paralysis trap takes effect and I rush around the side of the beast to attack its torso. After five slashes, I get a much stronger feeling than I did during all of my previous slashes and manage to deal more damage with the beast with each slash.

(Blood Art: Blood Cascade III)

The paralysis trap proves to be very effective as the beast does not manage to escape it by the time I have reached my twentieth slash. It falls into an unmoving heap and I extract its core; gaining some valuable materials in the process.

"Haruomi, Carrie, I've defeated the main target." I speak into my earpiece, "Mission complete." With these words, we decided to meet up where we were dropped off.

Arriving at the meeting point, I see Haruomi staring at the sky without Carrie at his side.

"Where's Carrie?" I ask as I approach him. He turns to look at me as he tells me her whereabouts. "Carrie left. She, uh... wanted to see more of the Far East." It was depressing that I never got a chance to see her fight. It would have been interesting to see how a person from another branch fights. "It's all right though. Youth, my friend, is a fleeting arrow. It waits for no one. It's that rarity, that evanescence, that makes it so precious." He speaks as if he had become a wise man after meeting Carrie. "Man... Hehe... Knee socks are awesome." I falter at this. I hadn't even gotten a chance to see her battle and Haruomi was staring at her legs?! I suppose I shouldn't judge. I was looking at her chest when I met her, after all.


	32. Chapter 32 - Erina - Character Episode 1

Chapter 32

DISCLAIMER: I DO NOT OWN THE GOD EATER FRANCHISE HOWEVER I DO OWN MY OC.

Name: Cedrick Esparza

Gender: Male

Hairstyle: Style 7 (Dark Brown)

God Arc: Burning Maiden (Short Blade), Apega Blaze (Sniper Rifle), Kurogane Tower (Shield)

Blood Art: ?

The next day, I got a rather surprising visit from Erina. I was standing near Hibari's mission desk, thinking what mission to do for today when she suddenly spoke to me.

"Are you free now?" She asks rather demandingly.

"I guess I am." I was after all. I'll still need to complete a mission today but that can wait.

"I know of a mission that'll be great for killing time." I guess that my mission had been chosen for me. "If you want to go..." She trails off and appears nervous. Regardless, I wouldn't call her out on her nervousness. She seems to be giving off a mood that says 'I dare you to not follow my orders.' "I could go with you." She still appeared nervous. Why can't she just say that she wants to go on this mission with me? Is that why she is nervous?

"If you want to go, just say so." I did feel like extending that sentence with "I'm not going to judge you if you ask for my help" but that will probably have the opposite effect of what I want.

"Erk..." She is taken by surprise by how flatly I announce her intentions of enlisting my help. "What I mean is... I have to kill a Yaksha on this next mission." She explains the mission as she regains her composure before taking an annoyed tone, "Captain Kota and Emil have other things to do. We don't have enough people. Kota said this'll be a good chance for me to work with someone from Blood. So I was thinking... maybe you and me could go." She had gone through the effort to, indirectly, ask me for help. I suppose I could help her out.

"How could I refuse?"

"Great! Let's go!" She was very happy that I decided to help. I keep in mind that our opponent is a Yaksha and prepare for it.

God Arc: Datura (Short Blade), Apega Blaze (Sniper Rifle), Kurogane Tower (Shield)

I had chosen a God Arc that had no elemental attribute to it. This should allow for normal effect attacks so that Erina can kill it and thus, gain experience in killing a Yaksha. With this in mind, I allowed Erina to take the commanding role in this mission.

"We should split up from here." She announces as we approach a split in the path and I find myself doubting her judgement. I am experienced enough to deal with a Yaksha by myself but I'm not sure if Erina is. I give her a look that back ups my next words,

"Are you sure?" She looks back at me with an 'are you doubting me?' face before it softens, only slightly,

"I guess I can't let you get killed." Yeah, Erina, we both know that it is you who will have the most problems. "Let's keep moving."

"Aye aye, ma'am." I speak humorously as I remember how I am usually the receiver of those words, only with 'Instructor' or 'Sir'. I receive a blank stare back. Something tells me that she doesn't have a sense of humour, or much of one anyway.

We walk for another few minutes before we find our target surrounded by two Ogretails.

"Erina, can you take the Ogretails?" I know that I had said that she could be the leader in this mission but for her to fight against a Yaksha by herself while I fight off two smaller Aragami doesn't seem right.

"What?! I'm going after the Yaksha!" She looks back at me with an angry look that softens as she sees the concern on my face. "I can handle a Yaksha, Cedrick." With that, she charges towards the medium-sized Aragami with no regards to the smaller Aragami in front of her. She runs straight past the smaller Ogretails, that make to follow her, as she brandishes her Arc before she strikes the Aragami that had already noticed her loud entrance. I rush towards the two smaller Aragami that were planning on making Erina their next snack.

With a strike that hits both Aragami, I move their attention from Erina and onto me. They snarl before trying to attack me but a simple side step is all I need to avoid their attacks. I run around the closest one and slash it on the tail once before it turns towards me and I slash its face. Seeing as how my Arc does not have an elemental effectiveness, it doesn't do too much damage. I back step before changing my Arc to Gun Form and firing four Blaze bullets at the Ogretail. To my surprise, it drops with a final roar. I turn my attention back to the remaining Ogretail that has propped itself up onto its tail. I side step now so that, when the Aragami dives, it will miss completely and give me a few seconds to prepare an attack. I switch back to Melee Form since my Oracle Points have depleted and wait for the monster to pounce. As it does, I try something a bit... eccentric. I get into a crouching position and wait for the Aragami to jump over me. As its head passes me I jump off of the ground with all my force as I angle my Arc straight up and deal an uppercut to the Aragami. What I didn't expect to happen, was for my Arc to follow the Aragami as it crumples to the floor. I mustn't have had a good enough grip.

(Blood Art: Fatal Riser I)

I move over to the lifeless corpse and detach my Arc from it.

"Gah! Gah!" I hear Erina grunt as she swings her Arc against the Yaksha. After devouring the two Aragami cores I rush in to help her.

"Um..." Erina speaks her first words since completing the mission. With the two of us working together, the Yaksha went down in five minutes. Of course, she dealt the final blows since I tuned my God Arc to have no attribute. "Thanks... For today..." She whispers her gratitude to me but I won't accept something that she can't speak louder.

"Hm?" I had heard her but I'll pretend that I haven't.

"Th-Thank you for... taking me out to fight with you... today." She spoke in a more audible tone but the easily detectable nervousness in it gives me something to wind her up about.

"Sorry, what?" I forced myself to keep a stoic face, as I struggled to contain a smile at her annoyed Erina had become.

"I said 'Thank you! For taking me out with you!' Geex! So dumb..." Erina sounded very childisha s she finished her sentence which was shouted without the nervousness from before. However, her tone changes and I feel my own silent laughter die down. "I guess Emil and I argue and Captain Kota gets mad... Maybe that's why he had me go with you. I do try not to get mad when Emil says stupid things, but... he always says stupid things! And I guess it's not just Emil... I'm kinda mean to Captain Kota too... I guess... But he can be a wuss!" I didn't expect Erina to tell me of her team's faults. "And I just keep going until he gets really angry and he yells at me." Wait, that can't be right. From what I've seen from kota, it must be pretty hard to make him angry.

"You need to be yelled at?" Maybe I was too light on her during the mission. I hadn't raised my voice even once. She tucks her head into her nec shyly,

"Um... I... Maybe, I... What I mean to say is..." She starts pacing in front of me as she thinks about how to explain herself. "I guess... I... Um..." She turns around towards me with a confident look on her face although her voice still suggests a shyness about her.

"I think I could really learn a lot from you and how you fight and... That sounds really dumb..." I didn't expect to hear that from her. You know, Kanon is still trying out her Oracle reserve so I won't need to teach her for a while. We haven't even had much conversations since the last lesson. Maybe it would do me some good to teach Erina as well.

"Will you keep up?" I say humorously. I don't expect the sudden increase in confidence from Erina.

"Of course I will! I totally will! You'll be surprised! I'm really good!" Erina comments with a smirk on her face. She leaves with a goodbye and a thank you after that and I decide to head to my bedroom. Maybe I'll play around with what my Arc could be like.


	33. Chapter 33 - Gilbert 1 and Nana

Chapter 33

DISCLAIMER: I DO NOT OWN THE GOD EATER FRANCHISE HOWEVER I DO OWN MY OC.

Name: Cedrick Esparza

Gender: Male

Hairstyle: Style 7 (Dark Brown)

God Arc: Burning Maiden (Short Blade), Apega Blaze (Sniper Rifle), Kurogane Tower (Shield)

Blood Art: Fatal Riser I

The next day, as I was sitting in the cafeteria eating a putrid sludge that the cooks dare call a breakfast, I find myself being joined by a member of my unit.

"Hey, Vice Captain." The purple clad God Eater announces his arrival as he sits opposite me.

"Hi, Gilbert." I greet him before resuming in consuming an unsatisfactory breakfast. It may have just put me off of food altogether.

"Is the food not up to your liking?" He comments with a smirk as he observes my grimacing face. I make a disgusting "bleh" and stick my tongue out to make sure he gets the picture. I look to his dinner to find him eating the same thing. Did he sit across from me to get my opinion before eating his own breakfast? "You should be thankful that you're not trying Nana's cooking."

"Huh?" I had no idea that Nana could cook. Well, judging from the context, Nana can't cook. I didn't know she was trying to cook though.

"Yeah, I saw Mutsumi let Nana use some spare ingredients to whip something up. She asked me where you were but I had no idea. I guess she wants you to try her poison first." He finishes his explanation before taking a bite of his breakfast. I notice that he doesn't grimace, nor does his eyes light up because of the taste. It must be tolerable for him. It isn't for me. I put down my cutlery to resume the conversation.

"Did you see what she put in it?" I had no qualms about trying new food, unless I knew for sure that it wouldn't do me any good. So if Nana hasn't put anything into it that would be hazardous to my health, then I'll still try it. It can't be worse than the sludge in front of me.

"I had no idea what she put in it. All I know is that Mutsumi let Nana use leftover ingredients." He dismisses my thoughts . As long as it was ingredients Mutsumi used I suppose it should taste fine. "Changing the topic though," Gilbert speaks again and I notice that he has finished off his breakfast. He must have a very strong stomach. "Have you noticed something on missions with me lately? Like, something's off?" He asks me with an inquisitive look on his face. I rack my brain to think of the mission's we've had recently.

A minute of thinking later and I can tell that Gilbert is growing impatient.

"You know," I begin as I reflect on the recent mission of rescuing Nana, "you seemed to be... struggling against the Vajra the other day." It was definitely strange come to think of it. An experienced God Eater like Gilbert having trouble with a medium-sized Aragami? Something was definitely strange there.

"So you noticed it, too..." He assumes a thinking position. Was that what he was referring to then? His struggling battle with the Vajra?

"Something feels wrong with my God Arc. I've been trying to ignore it, but, well..." He begins to trail off. I am about to speak up and tell him to get it checked out but he continues with what I was going to suggest anyway.

"I'm gonna go talk with Licca about it. Wanna come with?" I did want to check up on Licca to see how progress on the project is going; maybe I should go.

"Yeah, okay. Right now?" I stand up from the table as I say this, throwing the remaining slop into the bin as I do so. I can see that he wanted to say something but he decides not to speak what's on his mind.

"Thanks, let's go then." He stands up from his seat and we both head out of the infirmary.

After a while of asking around the Maintenance team, we find out that Licca will be in Director Sakaki's Laboratory. Why I am not sure but at least we have found her.

"Licca?" I knock on the Laboratory door a few times.

"I'm here." She speaks and I open the door allowing Gilbert and I to step into the Laboratory. We see Licca typing away on the computer before she looks up to see us.

"Cedrick? Gilbert? What can I do for ya?" She speaks in surprise before resuming her typing. We walk closer to her so that we aren't standing at the door, almost shouting across the room to hear each other.

"Hi Licca." I greet her and then turn to Gilbert.

"Morning Licca," He also greets her before explaining the problem. "My God Arc hasn't been working that it usually should." The atmosphere seems almost awkward as he speaks. Is Gilbert not used to doing this?

"Ah, I getcha. So your God Arc's not feeling right, huh?" She speaks as if she has heard a similar story before. Honestly, I wouldn't be surprised if she has. She is a mechanic after all and has probably worked here for years. So she's bound to have heard similar problems.

"Yeah," He confirms with a nod as well, "ever since I switched up my grip. It's not just performance, the whole balance feels off." This God Arc business sounds more complicated than I originally thought. Balance? I guess some Arcs are very big like Gilbert's spear. My Arc is a short sword so I don't really have a balancing problem with it.

"All right." Licca speaks almost hesitantly. She mustn't have been expecting Gilbert to identify the problem in such great detail. She probably expected something along the lines of 'I don't know why my God Arc isn't working properly. Can you fix it?'

"I think we can handle that." She speaks more confidently, "Long weapons like spears are generally front-heavy. Plus, we have to set up a tuning regimen." Truthfully, it sounds like a lot of hard work. "But don't worry, I've got some ideas. We'll try a bunch of stuff out." She speaks before typing again. This time though, it sounds as though she has temporarily dropped the subject she was working on in favour of helping Gilbert with his Arc. "Let's see. Tuning, tuning. Shift the centre of gravity. Must adjust for Blood Art resistance, expansion protocols and a whetstone." I just smile and look pretty as I have no idea what is going on. I did have some knowledge of God Arcs but this was getting ridiculous. I knew the words that Licca used and could even define them. I have no idea how they would be used in relation to God Arcs though. She stops typing and giggles slightly.

"Looks like we're going to need a whole bunch of materials to make this happen."

"Ah, I get ya." Gilbert speaks confidently and I begin to wonder to myself if I will be any help now. I suppose I could collect some materials. I might even have some stored that are waiting to be used.

"I'll help out." I make my intentions clear.

"That's uh... That's real kind of you." I never expected Gilbert to turn away nervously as he thanks me for my services. It's quite amusing. "Uh... I could really use your help on this." He speaks as he makes me know that my services are required.

"Sweet; decided. I'll get you a big ol' list of all the stuff we'll need."

"Got it. I guess we'll be sticking together until it's finished. Sorry to bug you with this." Gilbert comments.

"It's fine, don't worry about it." I brush off his comments with one of my own. We both make ourselves comfortable as Licca produces the list. A few minutes of pointless chatter later, I decide to ask something that is actually worth asking.

"Licca, how's the project coming along?" I ask with my arms behind my head as I sit on one of the couches in the room, relaxing into it. I ignore Gilbert's look of confusion and wait for Licca to answer.

"I was working on it just before you arrived actually. I may need your help in the near future." At least I was given a warning about it this time. It will probably be another thing that lasts late into the night.

"Project?" Gilbert repeats.

"Just something Licca needs my help with." I dismiss his comment with something simple.

"Yeah but enough about that." I wonder if Licca doesn't like talking about the project in public. "Here's the list of materials I will need." She presents the list and Gilbert and I get off of the couches and inspect it.

"Cedrick, do you think you can find a Hunger Fang and a Flame Fang?" I nod my head as a response to Gilbert. After he informs me of the materials he will be getting, we both head out of the Laboratory. I head to my room to use the terminal. I'm not sure what Gilbert does. He won't be able to go on a mission with a faulty God Arc so I assume that he is also going to a terminal to obtain the materials.

Logging onto the terminal, I quickly skim though the emails I hadn't checked and find nothing of urgency. So, I look through the database of materials that I have collected. Sure enough, within a matter of minutes, I find that I have three Hunger Fangs and one Flame Fang.

"I'll need to make sure to replenish my stock soon." I speak before extracting the materials and heading out of my room and head to Gilbert's room. I knock on the door and announce my arrival to him a few times but receive no response.

"Well, the only other place with terminals that he could use would be on the lower floors..." I think to myself before deciding to head into the lift and head to the lower floor.

Sure enough, I see Gilbert taking out a few materials from the terminal.

"Gilbert, I have them." I announce the materials I hold on my hands.

"You've got them already?" He seemed surprised. Didn't he just obtain the materials as well. I gesture to the items in my hands with a flick of my head.

"Nice work. Can I have them?" Well, I did think that we would both carry them to Licca but sure. I wait until he finishes pocketing the materials he obtained before I give him mine.

"Thanks, I'll give them to Licca." He heads straight into the lift with all the materials with the intention of giving them to Licca in the Laboratory. I, on the other hand, have nothing to do now. Well, I guess I can check if I have been scheduled for a mission.

"Cedrick! Do you have a little time to talk?" Nana asks me as she bounces side to side. It surprises me how much energy she has. We have just finished a mission to kill two medium-sized Aragami and she can still bounce on her feet.

"I've been watching Mutsumi in the kitchen. She's really, really good! She's like the Blood Special Forces of cooking!" Nana sounds happy. I wonder why; actually I don't. I remember Gilbert warning me about this earlier today.

"When she was done, she said that I could use the leftover ingredients to make anything I wanted *squee*" Yep, thanks for the warning, Gilbert. "I never tried cooking before. It was my first time ever! So I made this!" She reveals a small tablet-looking thing from her a pocket. It isn't very hygienic to store pills in a pocket like that. I feel like reprimanding her but I can't bring myself to do it because of how bubbly she is right now.

"And I thought about who would like it and who I wanted to try my food first and... I wanted to share it with you. Here!" I look to her face to see a very excited look on it. I take it from her outstretched hand.

"What... is it?"

"Um... I flavoured rations with strawberry and sugar" not bad so far, I guess I'll try it. I put it into my mouth, "and then it got crazy and that's all I remember." There was a horrible mix of tastes. Some were good but most were horrible. You know, I feel slightly more energised after this but I don't think my body can cope with this poison. I wipe my forehead as I feel myself heat up.

"So? Was it awesome?! I bet it was awesome!" She sounds so innocent that it would probably ruin her to hear that it was terrible.

"Well, I'm sweating a lot." Just as I say that, I feel as though the sickly feeling in my stomach had disappeared. I am very thankful for this and I breath a sigh of relief.

"Hmm... Great! That's exactly the flavour I was going for. Exciting with soupcon of sweetness as it hits the tongue. An infusion of spring flavours... and a pinch of strawberry." The last time I checked, there was no flavour that intentionally tried to make you sweat.

"It... It's more of an item. It may be useful on the battlefield."

"Well... They say good medicine is supposed to taste kinda bad. I guess it is a bit like an item after all. That's totally it! I'll tell Licca!" Wait, I don't follow this conversation. How did we get from an item to Licca? "I'm sure she'd like some! She works super hard after all. *giggle* Thanks a bunch! You really gave me a big confidence boost! I'll see you later!" She leaves quickly, almost excitedly, in an attempt to find Licca, I think. One thing is for sure though. I'm going to need to give Licca a warning about the pill. Maybe bracing for it will help to stop the bad taste. Whatever the case, I need a drink to wash this bad taste down. I'll go and get one from the lounge.

After paying and obtaining my drink, I quickly take a few gulps of it. The lovely taste as it washes down the horribleness of Nana's food is very refreshing.

"Oh, hey, Cedrick." I hear Gilbert speak from beside me. He must have noticed me and come over to me because he wasn't over here when I arrived. "I've just received a call from Licca regarding my Arc. Want to go and check it- God! What happened to you?!" He seemed a bit panicked and I was panicking at his panic.

"Wh-what do you mean?" I ask him with a bit of a stutter.

"You're looking very pale. Are you okay?"

"You were right earlier. Nana's cooking was even worse than the mush they gave us for breakfast." After explaining to him why I looked so bad, in his opinion, he burst into laughter.

"You know what? You rest for today. I'll come see you again tomorrow." He left as he struggled to contain his laughter. One thing was for sure though, I didn't really feel like moving. I guess I'll go and relax in my bed. I just hope that Nana doesn't find Licca and subject her to the same torture.


	34. Chapter 34 - Choice of Kurogane Arc

Chapter 34

DISCLAIMER: I DO NOT OWN THE GOD EATER FRANCHISE HOWEVER I DO OWN MY OC.

Name: Cedrick Esparza

Gender: Male

Hairstyle: Style 7 (Dark Brown)

God Arc: Burning Maiden (Short Blade), Apega Blaze (Sniper Rifle), Kurogane Tower (Shield)

Blood Art: Fatal Riser I

I wake up the next morning with the feeling of nausea having disappeared. I quickly get ready and complete my morning rituals. After that, I decide to check my emails. It has been a while since I have received any emails that were of real interest. The last one was probably the Blood Mailing List. I load up the terminal and see an email from Gilbert. That was a surprise. I was planning on helping him out today. He needed my help yesterday but advised me to take the rest of the day off as I was subjected to a painful poison otherwise known as Nana's cooking. I read his email.

 _Subject: God Arc_

 _Cedrick, I've had a talk with Licca and found out that my Arc is working better than ever. I didn't think she would be able to fix it so quickly. Anyway, we had a chat and I found out that I could learn a lot from her. She will be teaching me tomorrow about how to upgrade God Arcs. As a thank you for your help, I want to help upgrade your Arc. So, pick what type of Arc you would like to be upgraded and meet me in the lounge tomorrow morning._

Gilbert had sent this message yesterday so he wants me to meet him in the lounge sometime soon. He wants to help me upgrade my Arc? That sounds pretty cool. What type should I have? I lie on my bed as I think of the possibilities. I could choose to have my Short Blade upgraded but that would mean that I don't have any other type of weapon to choose from. A Long Blade will help to add more distance to my regular attacks. A Boost Hammer, now that seems like it would be difficult to manage. If I did choose it, I would need to ask Nana for tips on how to use it. Truthfully, I don't think I could manage to swing a hammer around all of the time to defeat an Aragami. I could have a Charge Spear; if it would need repairing, I'm sure Gilbert can teach me how to repair it. We did repair his own charge spear after all. Well, we gathered materials for Licca to repair it but she is teaching Gilbert about God Arcs. I could also have a Valiant Scythe - on second thought, no. It has similar problems to the boost hammer. I don't think I can handle constantly swinging around a scythe.

It takes me a while until I reach my decision. When I have, I head to the lounge to tell Gilbert of my choice.

"So you've decided then?" He asks me after the standard greetings as well as him asking me how I feel a day after consuming Nana's cooking. That reminds me, I need to warn Licca. Then again, Nana had head out straight away yesterday to find her. Let's hope that I'm not too late.

"A Boost Hammer." I tell him of the choice I was mulling over for a while. It took a lot to make me make up my mind on this one. There were so many negatives for this but I thought it would be a lot easier to deal crushing damage on Aragami with a Boost Hammer. There is bound to be an Aragami out there that won't suffer under my regular Short Sword attacks.

"A Boost Hammer? Yeah, I like it. Are you sure that's what you want?" He speaks with a hint of excitement in his voice. Probably happy that I've chosen. However, I wish he hadn't asked that question. Now I'm not sure what to have.

"Yeah, yeah. A Boost Hammer." That was it. I had confirmed it. No turning back now.

"Before we can retune your Kurogane," isn't that the God Arc I was given when I first joined Blood? "We'll need to build a Resonance Wave receptor, okay?" I give a nod of my head, knowing that Gilbert hadn't finished speaking. "I was thinking of upgrading my own God Arc a bit more as well. Whaddaya say we help each other out?"

"Yeah, sounds like a plan." I give a confident nod of my head to back up my stance on the matter. I suppose it was only logical that he wouldn't do it for free.

"Ha! Now that's exactly what I wanted to hear! I'll be ready to have all the materials gathered and ready for next time. See ya!" He speaks before leaving the lounge, presumably ready to get started on our Arcs. I head to the back of the lounge and take a seat on a stool, turning around on it so that I'm not facing the wall, so I can watch people as they enter the room; curious as to who will.

I watch everybody as they do their own things to pass the time. To the right of the room, I see Nana with the creature in the cage. She looks to be having good time as she tries to get it to eat the food that lies on her hand. I wonder if the creature will bite her hand instead of the food. It definitely has the teeth for it but does it have the brains to realise that Nana isn't food. Wait, what is she feeding it? Is that the same thing she fed me?!

"Poor beast." I usher with a whisper as I try not to draw attention to the fact that I am pitying a creature. Actually, I think Ciel told me it was something like a Capiba- capibara- Capybara! That's it! Poor thing.

I crane my neck to look at the other side of the room. It doesn't look like anything really interesting is happening. Romeo and Kota look to be watching something on the television and the only other person on that side of the room is Ciel. It doesn't look like she wants to be disturbed though. I can tell that by the way she presses, perhaps too hard on the tablet in front of her. I see a pen and pad next to her. I wonder what she is doing.

"Ah, I thought I'd find you in here." I look to the side of me to see Gilbert walking towards me. "I've got a list of materials that I'll need you to collect if we are to upgrade our Arcs. Do you think you can get me about five lots of Aragami Extract?" With the question asked, I give a nod of my head as well as my verbal answer,

"Okay. Let me check if they're in the terminal." I inform him before leaving the lounge.

I head to the terminal and withdraw five lots of Aragami Extract. I still had quite a few of these materials left so there will be no need to stock up any time soon. I head back into the Den and give the materials to Gilbert. He tells me about him giving them to Licca before he leaves. I resume my activity of watching people in the Den before I notice Julius coming up to me.

"Vice Captain, how are you today?" He asks with a smile on his face. The usual smile that he has when he is in a good mood.

"I'm fine, thank you. And you?" His smile grows more as he answers me.

"I'm good but I'll be even better soon." I wasn't sure what he meant by this. I wasn't used to Captain Julius smiling for as often and for as long as he has.

"Huh?" I could only voice my confusion at this. He notices this before sitting down in the seat next to me and changing the subject completely.

"You know, Cedrick," I instantly find this strange. He usually calls me by my rank and not my name. I wonder if I am in trouble somehow. "You haven't really told us anything about your family." Well that was unexpected. Now that I think about it, a lot of unexpected things has happened. I guess when you become a God Eater you expect the unexpected. The weird thing about this conversation is that he still has a smile on his face, although it isn't as wide as what it was before.

"Huh?" I repeat my confusion again. I failed to see how my family life was brought into this conversation.

"Well, you know that Romeo, Nana, Ciel and I are all from Magnolia Compass." He speaks before adding a bit of extra detail "an orphanage" just in case I had forgotten but he resumes, "And thus, lost our parents. Gilbert was from the Scotland Branch and his history was made clear to you." He's right. I do know Gilbert's history; Haruomi let me know of it. "But we don't know anything about you." Julius speaks up and my eyes widen as I realise this. "I mean, I'm your Captain and all I know is that you were sent from Fenrir HQ. I know nothing else about your back story." Julius continues, unaware of the feelings he is forcing onto me. Just hearing him ask about my family is already bringing me down. I drop my head towards the ground as I remember my own history.

"You don't have to tell me though." I hear the concern in his voice. I know that the smile that he had is no longer present but he is right. I don't have to tell them but my past will be the only one in Blood that hasn't been revealed. Nothing of my past is known to any of them.

"Julius," I wasn't exactly happy for the conversation but made sure to make my tone of voice at least seem neutral. I was far from it though. Just like with everyone else, I'm sure they were repressing their feelings of their parents.

"Hm?" He hums to me to let me know that he is listening.

"What I am about to tell you is for your ears only. I will tell the others eventually but right now, I can only tell you this." I turn towards him with the expression he is used to seeing having completely dropped from my face. If he notices this, he doesn't show it.

"I will tell the others about my past at some point. I'm only telling you now because you asked." My neutral voice explains my decision to tell him my past.

"You don't need to tell me right now-"

"No, I'll tell you. You want to hear after all, right?" I offer a sad smile. It might be better to get this off of my chest. I haven't been able to tell a soul about it at all. Julius, the Captain of my unit, will be the first to hear it. Julius stays silent as he waits for me to continue. His face contorting to one of concern.

"I, assume, I had been happily living with my mother and father until one point when it all turned bad. I think I had been sheltered my entire life. I had no idea what an Aragami was, so when we went outside and found one, I walked straight up to it." A sad smile crosses my face as I reminisce of my younger self's stupidity. Julius remains quiet as I speak. He is a good listener. "I now know the monster to be an Ogretail. When you're six years old and haven't seen an Aragami in your life; you would want to walk closer to it to see what it was, right? I didn't know that my mistake would cost the lives of my mother and father. They were eaten right in front of me. They hadn't had their God Arcs at the time. I have no idea why though. I think it may have been because they wanted to keep me sheltered from the world. This world filled with Aragami. Maybe they didn't want to take their God Arcs with them because I would have wondered what they were used for." The sad smile remains as I close my eyes to help me reminisce. It takes a minute or so before I realise why I was having this discussion. "Getting back on track, I'm not sure how but my Uncle happened to stroll towards the scene before getting a good look at it. I had been living with him in Fenrir HQ ever since; very rarely allowed out of my Uncle's Laboratory. A few days after my 18th birthday, I was told I'd be transferring to the Blood Special Forces and here I am now." I finish my story and wait for Julius' response.

"Thank you for telling me this, Cedrick. I think I have a better understanding of you now." He stands from his seat, a sad smile appearing on his face. I desperately hope he isn't pitying me.

"I came here to tell you that you have a visitor. Go up to the Director's Office." He tells me before briskly walking away. I'm not sure what his hurry is but I am more concerned with the fact that I have a visitor. I could only assume it would be Dr. Rachel and so, I head towards the Director's Office in anticipation of hearing her angelic voice.

I open up the door to the Director's Office and see my visitor standing right in front of it.

"Hello, Cedrick. It's been a while."


	35. Chapter 35 - Something strange

Chapter 35

DISCLAIMER: I DO NOT OWN THE GOD EATER FRANCHISE HOWEVER I DO OWN MY OC.

Name: Cedrick Esparza

Gender: Male

Hairstyle: Style 7 (Dark Brown)

God Arc: Burning Maiden (Short Blade), Apega Blaze (Sniper Rifle), Kurogane Tower (Shield)

Blood Art: ?

"Hello, Cedrick. It's been a while."

I halt in surprise as my visitor greets me with a smile before pulling me towards him in his arms.

"It's been a while." He repeats before grinding his knuckles on my head as a form of affection. I gently push him away to get him to stop before taking in his changed appearance. His messy hair had changed from an extravagant green to a bright blue. His facial features remained the same but his hair had grown long enough to almost cover the right side of his face. To match his blue hair, he still had his customised, murky blue lab coat. Underneath that he sported a black t-shirt and jeans.

"Well look at that, it appears I've shocked him shy." He remarks with a smirk as his head angles behind him. I follow his gaze to see the Director in his seat, watching the scene with a smile of his own. Getting over my initial surprise, I pick up my mouth from the slack position that it went into, without my knowing, and speak.

"Uncle?" The surprise was still evident in my voice. After all, it displayed my feelings at the minute. Never would I have thought that I'd see my Uncle here.

"That's right. You didn't forget about me did you?" He may have said it as a joke but I know what he means by this. "After all, you haven't contacted me at all since you've become a God Eater." He comments with a smile on his face. To be honest, I had completely forgotten to contact him at all because of everything that has been going on. Usually, when your life is on the line as a God Eater, you don't have time to mull over things and thus, your life and the life of those you work with are all you care to acknowledge.

"I've been busy." I have the nerve to say with a sheepish expression. He doesn't need to know that I had completely forgotten about my past until Julius brought it up earlier. It's almost as if I've been a God Eater all of my life.

"Yeah, I know you have." He speaks happily, sounding as though he has forgiven me. "But now that you've settled in, I'll expect you to give me regular calls." I give a nod in response before a question that had been lingering on my mind since I first saw him escapes my lips.

"Why are you here?" It is only after I say the question that I realise how unwelcoming it is. Still though, he knows I would be curious as to his intentions for being here.

"Well, I'm here on business." He speaks confidently with his hands in his lab coat. "I'm an old friend of Director Sakaki." My Uncle gives a flick of his head in the Director's direction. "I didn't even know you were here until just recently. You know, since you haven't contacted me." He chuckles lightly at the end of his sentence.

"So how did you know I was here?" Again, I may have sounded harsh but I did want an answer.

"Ah, well the Captain of your unit was already in here when I came in." My Uncle begins. I'm conscious of the fact that Director Sakaki is listening by his whispered contribution of, "Strolled in more like it. I see where Cedrick gets it from." Regardless, my Uncle continues,

"I heard him speaking about Vice Captain Esparza." He speaks as though he is full of pride. To add to the effect, he wipes a mock tear from his eye. "Having the surname of 'Esparza' and also happening to be in the Blood Unit, well it can't just be a coincidence." He explains. I guess now it makes sense why Julius had asked about my family. He must have wanted to know more about my Uncle. "By the way, Cedrick," He speaks as he approaches me, placing a hand on my shoulder. "Is this some sort of fashion statement?" His free hand plays with the support of my eye patch before he removes it from my head completely. I widen my eyes in surprise at the gesture.

"What happened to your eye?" He asks in concern. I hadn't realised that by widening my eyes in surprise, I had revealed the ugly, fake eye I had. I raised my left hand to cover it before using my right to take my eye patch back.

"I'll field this one, Cedrick." Director Sakaki speaks whilst I put my eye patch back on. "You see, Lucio," He address my Uncle by his given name, "Cedrick required a process called enucleation in order to save his vision." I see my Uncle flinch at the use of his name and I recall that he never appreciated it.

"I see." He connects the unspoken pieces together and appears to mull over it before dropping the subject. Glancing at his face, it seems as though he wants more information on the subject. I don't know why he dropped it then.

"Well, I should be getting back to Headquarters." he says whilst stretching out his legs. "Cedrick," I flinch slightly as I don't expect him to call me by my name. "I'll expect to hear from you in a few days." Was that it?

"Yeah, okay. I'll speak to you then." I reply with a positive voice. I mean, of course I am sad that he can't stay a while longer but now I can remember to contact him. With my final words to him, I leave the Director's Office and had back into the lounge where I can relax more; and maybe ask Julius about what my Uncle said to him.

Re-entering the Den, I happen to overhear part of a conversation.

"That was amazing! I never knew you were so talented, Gil!" I look to my right to see Licca and Gilbert talking to each other near the piano. I head over to inspect what Gil's new talent is.

"What did he do?" I ask in an amused voice. It seems that Gilbert is not used to the appraisal.

"It's nothing. No big deal." Gilbert comments, turning away with what looks to be a hint of red in his cheeks.

"It's a giant deal! He asked me to show him how to make a Resonance Wave receptor, right?" Licca asks and I nod my head in confirmation. "So I did. It's complex. And as soon as I was done, bam! He just makes one! All by himself!" Licca sounded genuinely pleased despite the fact that her words are a little patronising.

"A man of many talents, eh?" I look at him as I tease him a bit. He seems more than happy to give a retort.

"It was more of a fluke than anything. I'm lucky Licca's such a great teacher." I get his game. He's trying to turn the embarrassment onto Licca.

"Hey, if you can make one without me, I'm psyched. We may have a future engineer here!" His attempt had failed as Licca speaks confidently. Although, he did manage to change the subject slightly.

"In any case, now that I can build a receptor, I think I can figure out how to build more. Here is the receptor I made." He hands me some sort of machine which I now know to be the receptor he was speaking of. I give it a look over as Gilbert continues to speak. "The Mark 1. I... I want you to have it." He sounds so unlike himself at the minute. I guess this is what a shy Gilbert is like. "Hopefully you can use it to make a pretty powerful God Arc."

"Thanks, Gil. I'll see what I can do with it right now." I comment before giving the duo my farewells and heading to my room to store the receptor and see what I can use it for.

The next day, after asking Licca to upgrade my Arc and changing it to a Boost Hammer, I received quite the shock from Romeo.

"Hey, Vice Captain." He greets me in his usual vibrant way. "I've scheduled a mission for us, Ciel and Nana. Get your things ready. We'll be going to the Sunken Grid for this mission." He informs me before leaving which leaves me shocked at the fact that Romeo would set up a mission for us. I do as he says and stock up on Restore Pills before heading back to see Licca.

"Hi, Licca." I greet her happily for the second time in an hour. It looks as though she is working on my Arc. I can see that it has been changed to a Boost Hammer.

"Cedrick? You're back early." She comments in surprise as she looks up from her work.

"Yeah, Romeo enlisted me onto a mission so I'll need my Arc." I inform her of the situation with a smile on my face. She gives no reaction which I find to be weird.

"If you can wait for another ten minutes, I will have upgraded your Boost Hammer." She speaks to my delight and I do, indeed, wait another ten minutes; holding a conversation as I do which probably made it take longer to upgrade.

"Okay team," Romeo begins, grabbing our attention before moving any further through the battlefield. We had been looking for the Aragami for a good five minutes at least.

"I think it would be easier to split into groups to find the Aragami." Romeo says this with so much positivity that I almost forget that we've been searching for five minutes already.

"That's a good idea." Ciel gives her comments. "I propose that Nana and Romeo go that way" She points in the direction she is talking about, "while the Vice Captain and I go this way." She points in the opposite direction.

"What?! I wanted to go with..." Romeo begins to protest but trails off, "right, we'll go this way. Come on, Nana." The two of them walk away, chatting whilst looking for the Aragami. I expect the same thing to happen with Ciel and I.

"Shall we be off?" She speaks and I give a nod before heading off with her leading us. Leaving me behind her with a nice view.

A short while later, Ciel and I happen to come across our target completely by mistake as it makes its presence known by running in front of us, seeing us and then attempting to escape. Despite how unusual it is for a beast of its size to run from us, even just an Aragami running from us before we can engage it, we follow it into a corner. The Aragami, a Borg Camlann I should add, seems to be continually backing itself into a corner as we move closer to it.

"Something is strange." Ciel stops advancing on the Borg Camlann but I continue on my path towards it. My slow footsteps as I approach it must make me appear a lot more threatening to the Aragami than if I were to end it quickly.

"The Borg Camlann should be in your area right now. It ran away before we could finish it off!" Romeo's voice comes through my earpiece. I guess that explains why the beast was backing into a corner. Ciel must have thought this too as I hear her footsteps from behind me. Suddenly feeling fed up with threatening it, I run towards it.

"Help me"

As I approach the beast, I am sure I hear a whisper but immediately deem it to be the wind making it seem as though there was a noise.

"Look out!" I hear Ciel's voice from behind me but I'm not sure what she is warning me of. I jump towards the beast's claws but it quickly spins around; it's tail missing me due to my jump but I hear Ciel shriek in surprise as the Borg Camlann's tail hits her. As I land, I make sure to roll underneath the beast to use my Arc in an uppercutting motion and making sure the beast can't get back up. I look in the direction the I assume my partner flew in after backing away from the dead monster. Not being able to locate her, I move closer to the area. Out of the corner of my eye, I notice that the monster doesn't seem to be disappearing. I disregard it, though I do make sure to look back every few seconds to make sure that the beast doesn't try to surprise me with a sneak attack.

"Ciel?!" I shout as I try to find her.

"Erm... Cedrick? Do you think you can help me out?" I hear her ask and, hearing that she didn't shout, I assume her to be close by.

"Yeah, okay." I'm not worried anymore. She didn't seem to be in a rush for my help.

As I turn a corner, I see Ciel's God Arc lying on the ground near the water surrounding the remains of the old power plant. I walk closer to it.

"Ciel?" I ask with a hint of concern, just to make sure she is in the area.

"Down here, Cedrick." I hear her voice from near the Arc. It sounded as though she had landed in the water. I peer over the edge to have a look. Standing there looking up back at me is Ciel. It looked as though she was standing in the water and it didn't look too deep. It looked to reach her shoulders so she wasn't in danger of drowning. What she was in danger of, though, was not being able to get out of the water. The area she is in is like a trench. While the water may not be deep, the drop into it seems to be. I get onto my stomach and try extending a hand towards her.

"Take my hand, Ciel." I instruct her. She tries to do it with a slosh as she wriggles closer to the wall of the trench to take it.

"It's no use. I can't reach it." She says as she still tries to reach my hand. I look around the trench to see if there was anything we could use to get Ciel out of the water. Alas, there is not.

"Dammit." I murmur before trying to extend my hand further into the trench, ignoring the pain in it. Unfortunately, I still couldn't reach her and my arm was still beginning to tire from the stretching. I pull back my arm and roll my shoulder a few times to try and minimise the pain. That's when an idea pops into my head. I smile as I enact it. I take off my upper clothing, exposing my skin to the bitter wind, and extend it into the trench.

"Grab this!" I instruct as I try to push more of the shirt towards her grasp. She stumbles a few times before she manages to reach it.

"I've got it!" She shouts and I attempt to pull her up. The combined weight of her and the water she is carrying in her clothes is enough to make my arms ache as I pull her out. Eventually, I manage to stand up with her almost out of the trench. I can feel my arms weakening though and I won't be able to keep pulling her out for much longer. With a final burst of strength and a rather audible grunt, I pull my arms behind my head and Ciel comes flying out of the trench. The bad thing is though, my arms are behind my head so I have nothing to stop Ciel from plummeting into me and knocking me down to the floor with her.

With an "ow" I open my eyes to see Ciel's face just inches from mine. My eyes open in surprise to match hers, having already widened as she was the first to notice our position. She is quite a heavy girl and the water, some of which drips off of her body, makes her even heavier. As water droplets drip onto my chest I feel my nipples hardening. This doesn't embarrass me as it embarrasses my partner. What does embarrass me, however, is that I can feel her cold, soft breasts pressed against me; and if her breasts are cold, and she can feel my nipples, that means I can feel hers as well.

"Erm... Ciel." I attempt to string together a sentence but the pressure on my chest as she realises why I'm speaking and tries to correct this as she stands up, makes her nipples press into me even more before completely lifting up from me as she stands. I see her turn away with a very shy face as I stand up as well, only now noticing that my upper clothing had ripped due to the stress it sustained.

"We should probably get back." and forget this ever happened, I thought to myself although I doubt we will forget. We just won't bring it back up. I look towards Ciel as I speak this, only to see the reason why I love boobs. The white fabric of her clothes sticking to her chest and accentuating her curves makes the blood rush to my lower area. What's more is that I can see -

"Are we interrupting something here?" I almost fall to the ground in surprise as Romeo speaks from behind me, having walked here the same way that I had to find Ciel with Nana at his side. The two of them have their eyebrows raised.

"No, don't worry about it." I dismiss his comments before taking the lead in this conversation, "We should call for our ride." I speak as I walk past the two of them as I call for Hibari.

I continue my walk as I explain to Hibari that we need to be picked up. As I do so, I notice something strange. Not only has the Borg Camlann not disappeared yet, there is a figure standing by it. Still too far away from it to see any details, I move closer to the figure.

"She's dead. I finished her." I hear from the figure as I continue moving closer. CRUNCH. I look below me to see that I had stood on a stone. I quickly look back to the figure to find her not there but instead retreating into the distance.

"What was that about?" Was my only thought as a helicopter approaches the area.


	36. Chapter 36 - Romeo I

Chapter 36

DISCLAIMER: I DO NOT OWN THE GOD EATER FRANCHISE HOWEVER I DO OWN MY OC.

Name: Cedrick Esparza

Gender: Male

Hairstyle: Style 7 (Dark Brown)

God Arc: Burning Maiden (Short Blade), Apega Blaze (Sniper Rifle), Kurogane Tower (Shield)

Blood Art: ?

Two days pass without too much happening. There is one thing that has become concerning though. Something is up with Romeo. Two days ago, Nana had informed me that Romeo had been acting strangely. Yesterday, during another mission against a Borg Camlann, Gilbert told me about the talk he had with Romeo. He was concerned that Romeo didn't seem to be taking the topic seriously. Even today, against a Vajra, Romeo seemed to be so out of it that Nana, Gilbert and I had to occasionally block attacks that were headed for him. So you can imagine my surprise at his happy-go-lucky attitude as we walk back through the Den after the mission.

"That mission was a piece of cake, chocolate to be precise! Nothing can stop Blood! We rock!" It appears that Romeo was the only one who thought so as the rest of us didn't utter a response; something which Romeo found strange. "Hey, uh, what's with the awkward silence, guys?" We stopped walking as Romeo asks this. He looks to each of us and we ll turn away from his gaze. We knew that something was distracting Romeo out on the battlefield, we just need to find a way to bring it up with him.

"Um..." Nana speaks up nervously, "You've been all super weird lately, Romeo." I guess Nana has started the topic.

"I agree with Nana. Something's distracting you. It is evident on the battlefield." I speak my piece to reinforce Nana's claim.

"Psh! What?! That's ridiculous!" He attempts to brush off our claims. It would appear that Romeo doesn't want to talk about what is on his mind. "Even without Julius in the field," Julius was told to return to Friar and had left me in charge of the group, hence why all complaints about Romeo not being up to standard on the battlefield came to me. "we haven't taken a single casualty! Blood's too busy rocking! C'mon team, you know what I'm talking about!" Clearly, Romeo is trying too hard to dismiss the subject which makes it all the more obvious that he is hiding something. "Our Vice Captain's picked up the slack. Kicking arse and leading the charge!" He tries to change the subject but we wouldn't have it, especially Gilbert.

"Romeo," He speaks to get his attention, "tell us what the hell went down in that last mission. You were like a disaster waiting to happen." Gilbert comments on the amount of times we had to shield Romeo from harm.

"Whatever! Don't be so serious, Gilly Gil!" He attempts to write off his concerns by joking about them but it does little to deter us. "We're doing awesome! Sometimes you just gotta get out in the field and wing it, ya dig?"

"That's not the way missions work, Romeo. Everybody on the mission needs to be up to it before we leave here. You clearly weren't." I comment on Romeo's lack of awareness during the mission. It looks as though his jokes about it aren't doing anything to help him.

"You were sloppy out there, and your mistakes nearly got you and the rest of us hurt." Gilbert adds to my comment, "If you can't be bothered to try, then quit." I can't say that I agree with Gilbert's last remark but Romeo did almost get himself injured.

"How dare you." Romeo speaks in disbelief, most likely at Gilbert's last comment. He hunches over as he speaks. "Gil... Take that back!" Romeo shouts and I can hear the anger in his voice.

"What?" Gilbert seems just as surprised as me about the anger he holds in his voice. It is even more surprising to see Romeo express his anger through throwing a fist towards Gilbert's face. Gilbert flies to the floor with a pained grunt.

"What the hell was that for?" He shouts in anger and surprise. Nana and I are too shocked to speak. During their little fights it hasn't gotten to the point to hitting the other person; hence why it takes us by surprise to see this occur.

"You don't get it! You can't know what it's like!" The happiness from his voice had disappeared and was replaced with anger, annoyance and pain. "Of course I don't compare! I can't measure up at all! Only I know how awful this feels! I'm going crazy here just trying to find one thing I can do! One way I can really help!" Romeo finally releases what is on his mind. It seems as though he thinks that he doesn't belong in Blood. "I don't have tons of combat experience like you and Ciel do... I can't just shrug off attacks like Nana can..." He speaks emotionally before turning around to point at me with anger replacing the sorrow in his voice, "and you're no better! You woke your Blood Power like it was nothing. The Captain trusts you, respects you. And what am I? I just want to be useful! To hold my head up high, and stop dragging the team down to my I go, whatever I do, I'm... useless. I don't belong anywhere..." I was right, he did feel like he didn't belong in Blood.

"Romeo..." I reach a hand out to grab him on the shoulder but he quickly shrugs it off as he turns and runs in the opposite direction with a grunt.

"Romeo!" I shout after him in an attempt to get him to stop. Running after him would be useless. He was already so far ahead that I wouldn't have been able to catch him.

"Nana," I turn to her and see her hands in front of her mouth in shock, "email Julius and tell him about what happened." I give her the commands and she heads off straight away. "Gilbert, get Ciel and your Arc and meet me on the roof." I inform him and he heads off. I grab my Arc and head to the roof.

About ten minutes later, I reach the rooftop, just in time to see red clouds forming in the distance.

"Oh no." I speak with worry. Romeo has run off and it looks like the Red Rain will be falling soon. I wait on top of the roof for another few minutes before seeing the rest of Blood, barring Julius, on walk onto the roof without their Arcs.

"Where are your Arcs?!" I ask them as soon as I realise.

"They've been sealed away. All God Eaters are to remain inside the Den. There has been an alert for a Red Nimbus." Ciel's the one who answers me and I give a dissatisfied, "Fuck" in response. Reluctantly, I walk into the Den with the three of them. It would seem that we can't go and find him. I can only hope that Romeo can somehow find cover. The last time the Red Rain appeared, I used a God Arc Soldier to rescue Ciel. Now though, I don't have anything like that. I could use a helicopter but that is a lot more dangerous than a God Arc Soldier since I don't know how to operate it. I piloted the God Arc Soldier due to luck. I would need a lot more of it to operate a helicopter.


	37. Chapter 37 - Romeo II

Chapter 37

DISCLAIMER: I DO NOT OWN THE GOD EATER FRANCHISE HOWEVER I DO OWN MY OC.

Name: Cedrick Esparza

Gender: Male

Hairstyle: Style 7 (Dark Brown)

God Arc: Burning Maiden (Short Blade), Apega Blaze (Sniper Rifle), Kurogane Tower (Shield)

Blood Art: ?

Romeo's POV

By the time I had stopped running I had found myself a long distance away from the Den. I wasn't sure where I had ran to either. I just let my legs carry me away from the Den seeing as how I didn't want to be there anymore. I don't belong in Blood and they don't need me there anyway. A grumble from my stomach alerts me to my current situation. Couldn't I have ran away after eating something?

"Grr.." I groan as the hunger pains strike through me. "So hungry." I stop walking, feeling as though I would collapse from hunger if I were to continue. I look up to the sky, in an attempt to distract my stomach.

"huh?" it works because now I see something more alarming. Red clouds were quickly heading my way. "Red Nimbus?" Which means that the deadly disease the rain brings with it will also be heading for me. I find myself staring at the sky intently. This was it. I was done for. There was no shelter around and I don;t think I have enough time to make one. A few shuffling sounds to my left bring my attention to the source of it. An elderly man makes himself heard,

"Hmm... I don't like the look of those red clouds out there." A few seconds after he speaks, I realise he is talking to me.

"Oh... H-Hello." I was a bit nervous to be having a conversation with a person that I had only just met. Usually, I would have no trouble but I was caught off guard to see another person around here.

"Hello yourself. What's a young un like you doing way out in the middle of nowhere? Did you come from one of the satellite bases?" He asks me. Honestly, I could ask almost the same thing to him, apart from how he addressed me as a 'young un'. "Ah! Look at that armlet. You're a God Eater?" He notices my armlet and I quickly bring it behind my back. I know how most people respond to seeing a God Eater and it isn't pleasant. Many times I have been subjected to verbal abuse because of this armlet. Most of the times I have been verbally abused, I have been helping out in the satellite bases as well. Well, I suppose I am doing that to have a better image in the eyes of Yuno. He notices my actions and gives a little chuckle, "No need to hide it. That's an admirable job you do." Hearing his words, I deem him to be one of the rare people that appreciate the efforts of God Eaters. Suddenly, a loud siren begins ringing through the area.

"Is that the rain warning?" I look up as if to see the reason why and find that the red clouds have quickly covered the area.

"You'd best come on inside, boy. The red rain'll be falling any time now." He offers me a place to sit out the rain but I can't possibly impose on him.

"N-No, it's fine. I'll be okay, thanks." I protest but he only walks closer.

"It's no problem, boy, trust me. Come on in." He was very persistent. I weighed up my options. I could either follow him and have instant shelter from the rain or try and find shelter here in the middle of nowhere before the rain fell, and the warning for the red rain has already started meaning that I won't have much time to find shelter. Finding no other option, I followed the man into the shack he came out of.

I stop where the man stops and see a frail looking old woman sitting at a table.

"What a handsome young man. It's been ages since we've had a guest." She stands from her seat with ease. Maybe she isn't as frail as I thought.

"Now I may be goin' deaf, but I'm sure I heard his stomach a rumblin'. Would you fix him a little food?" The man asks his, what I assume to be, wife. This was too much though. First I intrude upon them and then take their food. It really was too much.

"I'm fine!" I speak maybe a little too quickly, "Really, I promise, there's no need. I'm a God Eater. I'll eat back at the Branch... Yeah." I trail off as I remember why I am here. It was all because I lashed out at my friends. They had infuriated me. I just wanted to help them in any way I can. Without a Blood Power, it's really difficult to do so.

"God Eater or no, you still have to eat. You are a growing boy." The elderly woman speaks with a large cup in her hands. These people were really too kind for their own good. "Here, let's begin with some tea first. I'll get the food started." I didn't really want to argue with the people that were kind enough to take me in before the rain started and so, I didn't speak anything else and sat down opposite the man before taking a drink of the tea in front of me. I don't usually drink tea, but I will now. Truthfully, I was thirsty as well. I had been running for so long that my throat had become dry. The taste of the green tea was great. So good in fact, that it may be my favourite hot drink.

"Tell as a bit about yourself, young un." The man speaks after a few sips of his own tea.

"Well, I'm Romeo. I belong to a group of God Eaters known as Blood." I speak before taking another sip of tea. I didn't really know what to talk about. The elderly woman had since joined us after she had started cooking some food. I suppose it would have been ruse of me to not tell them about myself after being invited into their home.

"I've never heard of that before." The elderly woman speaks with curiosity written on her face, "What does Blood do?"

"Well, my unit work like the other God Eaters; defeating any Aragami that need to be defeated and handling specialised tasks like fighting Aragami that can't be defeated by regular God Eaters." I was becoming more confident as I spoke and I could feel it rising within me. "Aragami like that are known as Psions. Only Blood can destroy them."

"Wow! This Blood Unit of yours sounds very impressive, Romeo." The woman responds with a smile on her face that I don't think has wavered since I arrived.

"Oh, they so are! They're like the ultimate elite God Eaters! I joined the unit right after Julius-" It occurred to me that they wouldn't know who I was talking about so I gave a little more information, "-Oh, he's the captain- He's so freakin' cool! He's always got this like steely gaze going on." I speak and vocally reminisce before remembering that I still needed to explain about my unit. "Oh, yeah! And then there's Cedrick. He just recently got promoted to Vice Captain. Hehe! He's pretty awesome too." I could hear the positivity in my voice as I spoke about my unit. It seemed that I couldn't stop thinking the world about them. "At first, I was kinda mad I didn't get promoted, but... He's really something else, so he deserves it. I'm happy to support him. We just got a ton of other new members too! It's kinda become my job to welcome everyone. I do my best to make sure everyone's happy." And I do. I've always tried to keep a smile on everybody's face no matter how hard it is. I know that it is difficult to make Julius smile but I have accomplished that feat a few times. I think the only one I am yet to make smile is Ciel, but she is warming up to the group thanks to the Vice Captain. I should be able to accomplish that soon.

"Well, of course you do. You're such a kind young man, Romeo." The woman speaks highly of me. Too highly I think.

"Oh, no. Not really. Well, the thing is, Julius is a little bit cold and impersonal so he's not really too good with that sorta stuff. So I kinda... You know... took it upon myself. I mean, ever since I was a little kid I've always been happy to go out and make new friends. Still, me and this new guy, Gil, we don't really get along. I've been really trying my best to be his buddy and get him to open up, but... I guess I can be kind of annoying..." I could feel my mood deteriorating. "Probably, pretty insensitive too. And he was right, it was my fault our last mission went so poorly." I was definitely bringing the mood down.

"Goodness, sounds to me like you need to gain some perspective. Have a little confidence in yourself, Romeo." The man speaks to me. I understand what he is trying to do but it is easier said than done.

"I-I know. I make jokes and always act like I feel better than I do, but I guess I'm not actually that confident. It's just not me." I decide to change the topic slightly, "The others though, they're incredible. Strong and brave. There's nothing I can do to catch up." I bring a hand to my head as I voice my concerns. My team mates were becoming better and better God Eaters but I couldn't follow them. They were leaving me behind in their dust. I try to catch up and help in anyway I can but it never helps. "For real, I haven't got the experience, or the smarts. I'm weak. All I have is being friendly." It was painful for me to admit it; to voice my concerns about my unit and where they'll leave me. It was only a matter of time before I became so useless that they didn't need me at all. "And I hate my weakness. So I left." I had left the Blood Unit before I could be deserted because of my weakness; because I don't have a Blood Power to be of use in the unit. I was truly useless.

"Boy, even we can see how much you love your friends. Now that connection, there's something you can be really proud of." The elderly man speaks wisely. I don't interrupt and listen carefully whilst trying not to let the overpowering sorrow I feel come pouring out of me. "Humans are weak by nature. They can't survive alone. Being able to make friends. Romeo, that is a gift to be treasured, I promise."

"I couldn't take it... I ran away."

"There's a world of difference between taking a rest and running away." The elderly woman speaks and grabs my head, most likely for emotional support. "By fighting, even just to keep friends close, you're helping all those that can't fight. And that means something here." Their words were overpowering. I can feel my eyes watering as I listen. "So you'll take a little rest with us. You'll feel much better. We'll look after you like you're one of our own." That was it. I couldn't keep my emotions bottled anymore. These people that I haven't even known for more than an hour have offered me their home to for shelter against the red rain, their food to sate my hunger and have offered me emotional support as well. These people were truly too kind. I couldn't help it as the tears overflowed from my eyes and the sobs escaped my lips. I bow my head as I don't wish for them to see my crying. It does little though, they can still hear.

I stay with the elderly couple until the early hours of the morning. By then, the Red Nimbus has cleared and I decide to head back to the Den. I have a lot of explaining to do.

"Thank you so much, for everything. I have to be getting back." I turn towards the elderly couple who wait at the door to see me off.

"Off you go, Romeo. Back to the Den where you belong." The man replies in the same wise voice that I've heard since I met him.

"Do be sure to come back and visit." The woman speaks in such a caring manner. It's surprising to see people like these two outside of the Anti-Aragami Wall, and thus, out of the protection of the Den.

"Please do! We need a God Eater around the house to eat up all of my wife's cooking." He speaks jokingly and I can't help but laugh. I'm soon joined by the two in laughing. As I do so, a thought occurs to me.

"Hey, would you think about moving to a satellite base? Or the Far East Branch? I could help." I didn't want the two of them to be so far from protection. It took me a while to get here on foot and that was when I was running. If something were to happen to them then we, God Eaters, may not be able to reach them in time. "If I apply directly to Fenrir HQ, they'd never say no! I mean, I haven't really got any family, and you'd be so much safer there, so..." I trailed off to stop my rambling. The two had looked to each other with a knowing look. They knew their answer. I could only hope that they said yes.

"That's quite all right. We chose to be here. Those fancy new homes, well, they should go to the young folks."

"You're sweet to offer, but you save that for your own future, okay? You'll be glad one day when you've a family of your very own." They were too kind for their own good. I speculate on if I can convince them to at least move closer to the Branch but a sudden rumbling of the ground alerts us to full attention. I look around for the source.

"That sound... Aragami...!"


	38. Chapter 38 - Back to ?

Chapter 38

DISCLAIMER: I DO NOT OWN THE GOD EATER FRANCHISE HOWEVER I DO OWN MY OC.

Name: Cedrick Esparza

Gender: Male

Hairstyle: Style 7 (Dark Brown)

God Arc: Burning Maiden (Short Blade), Apega Blaze (Sniper Rifle), Kurogane Tower (Shield)

Blood Art: Fatal Riser III

"Come in, Blood. Romeo's requesting help near the Abandoned City. There has been a report of a Garm in the area." Hibari's voice comes through me earpiece.

"Right, we'll head there right now. Make sure to send Romeo's God Arc to his location." I instruct Hibari before turning to my team to tell them of the situation. My team consists of Gilbert, Nana and I. Blood had split up to find Romeo and we aren't too far away from the Abandoned City where Romeo called for backup from. Ciel and Julius opted to stay closer to the Tranquil Temple to look for Romeo. It's clear to say that they won't be catching up to us any time soon.

"Romeo is without his God Arc so I'll stay with him until it arrives." I inform my comrades as we run towards Romeo's location. I am answered positively. My comrades most likely want to hunt Aragami; not that I don't, I would much rather prefer to do that instead of being on the defensive. Unfortunately, I am going to have to if I want to protect Romeo from harm until his Arc arrives.

We arrive at in the Abandoned City a short while later. Looking around, there is no sign of Romeo but there is a lot of signs that the Aragami is around; the biggest signs would be the fresh marks on the buildings around us.

"Hibari, can you focus in on Romeo's location?" I ask as I look around the rubble to see if he is hiding anywhere. It would be suicide to fight an Aragami without a God Arc; even Romeo knows that so he must have hid somewhere to avoid being seen by the Garm.

"I'll try that now." Hibari speaks and I can hear her tapping away on her computer. She mustn't think it will take very long to find a signal. "I'm picking up his signal in area D." At her words, we head towards the area.

We head into the area and find the Garm close by.

"Team, engage." I whisper to my team mates. By doing so, they will have the chance to sneak up on the Garm and hit it before it realises that we are here. I, meanwhile, will attempt to find Romeo and so, we split up. Gilbert and Nana head towards the Aragami whilst I creep along the rubble to see if Romeo is around.

"Hibari," I whisper to her through the earpiece, "Is Romeo still nearby?"

"His signal is still coming from that area. It looks as though you can getting closer to him. His signal is about 20 metres ahead of yours." Hibari informs me and I quietly thank her before cutting the connection and continuing my walk.

"Take this you overgrown dog!" Nana's shouting takes me slightly by surprise and I gather that the battle has started. The Aragami snarls in anger and I spare a few regular glances over my shoulder every few seconds to make sure that everything is going all right. After 15 metres of walking, I decide to speak up,

"Romeo? Are you there?" I ask in my voice's usual pitch. There'd be no point whispering now seeing as how the fight with the Garm has already started.

"Cedrick?" I hear Romeo calling my name. "Cedrick, I'm over here." I follow Romeo's voice and find him crouching behind a large piece of rubble.

"It's good to see you again, Romeo." I greet him with a smile. I'm not sure if he is still upset over what happened before he ran away so I decide to use caution when speaking with him.

"Yeah, it's good to see you too. Do you have my God Arc?" He speaks in his usual, positive tone and I deem that he has gotten over the fact of why he ran away.

"It's on the way." I look up to the ceiling. "We'll probably need to be out in the open before you can get it though." I inform him seeing as how the ceiling above us has only a few holes in which to see the helicopter that would be bringing his Arc.

"Cedrick, the Garm is heading your way!" I hear Gilbert shout and turn around to see the beast running towards the two of us. Thinking on my feet, I quickly deploy my shield.

"Stay behind me, Romeo." With no Arc, Romeo is defenceless. This is why we agreed that I would protect him until his Arc arrived. He quickly moved behind me, just as the Garm lunged towards us. It hit my shield hard and it was becoming exceedingly more difficult to keep the Garm away due to its weight pressing on my shield. I could feel the sweat dripping down my face as I continued to push against the Aragami.

"Bad dog!" After what felt like a few hours had passed, the Aragami finally lifted its weight away from Romeo and I as Nana's God Arc came crushing down on its tail, piercing the Garm's armour as it did so. It reared back in pain and allowed Romeo and I to move backwards by a few metres.

"If I had my Arc I could help out." Romeo comments.

"Hibari, where's Romeo's Arc?" I force myself not to shout through the earpiece as I ask the question. I agreed with Romeo. I wouldn't need to make sure that he was behind me all of the time so that we can us my shield to protect from danger. Speaking of, I put my shield in front of me as the Garm prepares to launch a ball of fire in our direction.

"It's on the way! Estimated time for arrival is five minutes! I would advise moving to a more open area! There are more Aragami signals in the area!" She informs us. I already knew that we'd need to be in a more open area so Romeo could receive his God Arc but I didn't know about more Aragami being in the area.

"What other Aragami are around?" I ask Hibari. Hopefully, there won't be too much trouble if they are small or medium sized Aragami. I suppose it would also be helpful if they didn't have very good eyesight or hearing.

"I count three Zygotes." Hibari answers me. I cut the connection in light of the news.

"Gilbert, Nana, try to keep the Garm in this area!" I shout their instructions before turning to Romeo. "Be as silent as possible and follow me." I hope to bring Romeo into a more open area without the Garm following us so that I won't need to defend him from three Zygotes as well as a Garm.

Getting out into the open, we find one Zygote in the area with the others nowhere to be found. Instead of killing it, we opt to find cover and wait until Romeo's Arc arrives. It took approximately one minute to leave the area with the Garm which left another four to wait.

We kept watch as the time grew closer.

"That Zygote's getting a bit too close." Romeo whispers. During the time that we had been in cover, the two other documented Zygotes had wandered into the area. We had a close call where one of the Zygotes was practically over our heads; it was lucky that a sound further away had drawn its attention. It gave me the time to power up an uppercut attack that killed it instantly. Now, only two remain.

"It's getting closer." Romeo whispers again. The other Zygote was quite a distance away so it shouldn't be a problem to kill this one. I got up from cover and headed straight for it. The Zygote had definitely noticed me due to the sound of switching my Arc to Gun Form to fire a bullet straight in its face. I backed off to fire another three bullets, depleting my Oracle Points, before switching back to Melee Form. I look over the Aragami's condition to see if my attacks were effective. The Zygote was definitely damaged but it looks as though it has quite a lot of energy left in its tank. The Aragami rises in the air before quickly sending a small orb of wind in my direction. I easily avoid it by side stepping it. I grip my Arc harder as the Zygote rushes towards me. I would have retaliated but something stopped me. For the first time, I get a proper look at a Zygote. It looks as though a woman had been infused with an egg. A naked woman. With the woman's arms stretched out, the breasts can clearly be seen. As the Zygote comes closer to me, my fascination with the creature increases to the point that I can't even remember being knocked off of my feet and waking up on the ground. The first naked woman I have seen is attached to an Aragami?

Once I had come to my senses after Romeo shouted to me, I had swiftly killed it. Unfortunately, all of the noise that the Zygote had made during battle had caused not only the other Zygote to notice, but the Garm to notice as well. It stomped into the area and ran towards me, so did the Zygote. I managed to avoid both rushed attacks but couldn't avoid the Garm pouncing at me a moment later, a swirl of fire starting from underneath me whilst it kept me pinned to the ground.

"Close your eyes!" I hear Gilbert shout before seeing nothing but white. I immediately realise that he had used a stun grenade to stop the Garm's attack as it had relinquished its hold on me; rearing back in its blinded state. I scurried to safety and used a few Restore Pills before moving back into the fight.

"You guys... I..." Romeo began, lowering his head in disappointment with himself. Having defeated the Aragami, it was time to head back. First of all though, the issue with Romeo running away had to be addressed. In response, Gilbert gives him a light, painless punch to the forehead.

"So I went ahead and submitted your 'request for leave'." Gilbert speaks, providing Romeo with an excuse for running away. "I'll let you off the hook this time. Don't let it happen again." Gilbert begins walking away but before he got too far away, he raised his hand and spoke, "Hey, kid! Not too shabby today. Keep up the good work, eh?" That was all Gilbert had to say. Truthfully, Romeo did quite well in battle. He was able to survive without his Arc and without his team mates for a while and then managed to help us when a few more Zygotes invaded the area. The nervousness that he looked to have during our previous mission appeared to have faded. He really held his own in battle.

"Hehehe!" Nana's giggle caused Romeo and I to look at her, "Gil's been secretly worried about you, Romeo. He may seem mean, but he's really a big softie. Come on, let's go back. It's way too boring and peaceful without Romeo around to brighten up the place." It's true. Romeo is the heart of our team's positivity. When he wasn't feeling like himself, the whole of Blood knew about it and could feel it in battle. Nana's words must have been more emotional for Romeo than I would have thought as he wipes his eyes and releases a small, yet audible, whimper. After doing so, he gives a confident nod of his head.

"All right. Okay! Let's head back home!" He speaks with an arm raised into the air to emphasise his words. He leads the charge as we walk in the same direction as Gilbert did.

"Oh, yeah!" Nana speaks up, surprising me slightly. "By the way... you better not forget the promise you made me!" She says in what I think is a playful tone.

"Promise? I don't recall any promise." Romeo responds. Are we sure that Nana didn't dream about this promise? Or maybe she's just playing a joke on him.

"Hey! We had a deal, Romeo!" Her tone quickly changes from playful to annoyed. "You owe me eight pieces of delicious chicken!"

"What?! Eight pieces?! I promised you like five!" Romeo protests. So there was a promise? Oh well, it's probably best if I don't get involved.

"So you do remember!" Nana says smugly.

"Hey, let's get a move on!" Quite frankly, I am glad that Gilbert interrupted them. "We're headed home, yeah?"

"You know it!" Nana shouts back in response and a helicopter comes into sight. It looks to be about five minutes away from us. Nana turns back to Romeo. "Okay, okay. How about we just agree on seven pieces, then?"

"Ugh... You're greedy, Nana." Romeo's tone of voice was funny to me and I couldn't help but release a chuckle.

"Hey! That's super uncool!" Nana's response causes me to chuckle as well.

By the time we get back to the Den, a lot of God Eaters have flocked to Romeo; probably to check if he is okay. I leave Romeo to the crowd, much to his dismay, before receiving some news from a member of the crowd.

"Vice Captain," a dark skinned man speaks and I find myself racking my brain to identify him. Whilst he continues speaking, I remember him to be Damian, the person that I needed to consult about Link Support Devices. "Dr. Rachel would like to speak with you. She should be in the Infirmary." This alarmed me. Why would she be in the Infirmary? Was she hurt? Hey, wait a minute. Doesn't the Infirmary house the Black Plague sufferers? I sprint towards the lift and push the button for the Infirmary. Had Dr. Rachel caught the plague?

To my relief, she wasn't in an Infirmary bed. I suppose she hadn't caught the plague, but why did she want to talk to me in here?

"Ah, it's good to see you again, Cedrick. You've come at a good time." Her heavenly voice relaxes me as she speaks. I could spend all of my life listening to that voice. I wonder what will happen when I retire as a God Eater. Will I still be able to communicate with Dr. Rachel? Or will she be too busy with something else, like a new Blood squad? Well, I shouldn't worry about that. I should enjoy her voice while she is here.

"I was just about to speak with Dr. Sakaki. Would you mind showing me to the branch director's office?" She asks in her usual sweet voice that I can't refuse. One thing strikes me as weird though, the last time we had spoke was in Sakaki's office. Shouldn't she know the way?

"Not at all. Right this way." I speak and hold the Infirmary door open for her.

"Thank you." She speaks as she progresses through it. I lead her to the lift and to the next floor.

"Thank you. Please wait here a moment." Dr. Rachel speaks heavenly before continuing into the branch director's office. Leaving me outside, I lean against the wall and begin to wonder why she wanted to speak with me if she only wanted to go to the branch director's office. Well, I suppose she'll tell me when she's finished. She did tell me to wait outside after all.

Five minutes pass and I begin to wonder about what they are talking about that would take so long. I sigh heavily before hearing the lift doors open from down the corridor. To my surprise, a platinum blond haired man wearing a lab coat walks out of it. I haven't seen this man around here before. He carries a suitcase and seems to be walking to me. After a bit of thought though, he probably just has business with the director. I step further to the side so that he has access to the door. He stops though, which makes me become curious.

"Huh... Is the old man meeting with someone?" He speaks aloud. I'm not sure if he is talking to me or if he is just speaking his thoughts, nevertheless, I answer him.

"He's speaking with Dr Rachel." He gazes at me and I shuffle slightly, nervousness to be the object of his gaze.

"That armlet... Are you with Blood? What are you here to see Sakaki about?"

"I'm just here with Dr. Rachel." I answer his quick question. He almost seemed panicked when he answered it.

"So," He leans against the wall as well, "the Director wants Friar involved with this. Does this man want to have a conversation? If so, I suppose I had better learn more about him.

"Are you from this branch?" The term he used to address the director was 'old man'. Obviously, they have more than a formal relationship.

"Yeah, that's right." He answers me in a matter of fact tone before it changes to something more critical, "Well, I suppose. Right now, I'm..." He is cut off as the door to the director's office opens with Dr. Rachel emerging from it. I stand up straight in response and close the door behind her. She looks between the man and I before asking,

"You've met?"

"Not really." The man answers for me. "Only just a moment ago." I nod my head to confirm what he says.

"Are you related to the late Director Schicksal perhaps?" She asks the man. She must know that director if she asks the man in front of her if he is related.

"You could say that. Rather closely in fact. Johannes von Schicksal was my father. My name is Soma." Ah, a name to match to a face. Regardless, the man speaks factually and almost coldly. I think tha Dr. Rachel may have sensed this coldness from the man as she bows her head before speaking,

"How rude of me. I've yet to introduce myself. I am Dr. Rachel Claudius. Your father did a lot of wonderful things for the world and for me. Allow me to thank you in his stead." So she does know his dad? It definitely seems like it.

"You can save that gratitude." Soma replies in a voice I'm sure that the both of us, Dr. Rachel and I, have gotten used to. "I was always taught it was best to deliver such things in person. You'll see him in the next life eventually." Now that really was cold. An awkward silence haunts the three of us after his speech. Thankfully. He has the nerve to break it, "Sorry. Heh... Just a poor joke, Miss Claudius."

"My, my, Dr. Schicksal, you do have a delightfully morbid sense of humour don't you." Dr. Rachel speaks in a tone I haven't heard before, but I'd like to hear it more often. It wasn't a usual music to my ears that I was used to, it was like a different genre of music to me. "Perhaps that charm is what drove your companion to the moon." Again, an awkward silence envelops the three of us. This time though, I don't know why. Whatever Dr. Rachel meant by that last sentence seems to have greatly affected Soma as his head lowers towards the ground slightly. "Just a poor joke." She speaks and now I am lost. I have no idea what she meant by the joke. Maybe it was an inside joke between the two of them.

"Touche. It's rather strange. You seem almost familiar, Miss Claudius. Perhaps you're a monster inside, just like me." Soma speaks, losing the coldness in his tone. I was lost a while ago and his comment doesn't let me find my way into knowing what the conversation is about.

"Hehe!" Dr. Rachel's giggle is heavenly and I focus my attention on her voice as she speaks. "I admit it was a rare pleasure, Soma, having this chance meeting. Come along, Vice Captain." She moves her wheelchair back towards the lift and I begin following her, making sure to give a nod of my head to Soma as I do so. What I don't expect is for him to approach me and place a hand on my shoulder.

"Something in your eyes reminds me of an old friend. If you're anything like them, you'll be one to watch. Just be careful out there." It surprises me that he would express concern towards me seeing as how we've only just met. Regardless, I give a nod of my head before catching up with Dr. Rachel.

"Which floor are we heading to?" I ask as I stand by the buttons, having walked into the lift.

"The roof." She gives a short, simple answer yet it confuses me as to why she'd want to go up to the roof.

"The roof?" I repeat just to make sure I've heard right, my hand hovering over the button for the roof.

"Yes." I press the button at her response and the lift moves upwards.

"So um... Why the roof?" The only thing up there is helicopters. Nothing more, nothing less. So it intrigued me as to why she'd want to go up there.

"Why Cedrick, are you questioning my decisions?" Although she has a smile on her face as she speaks, I'm unsure if she is making a joke or not.

"Um... No, it's just that there's not much on the roof apart from helicopters." I tell her nervously.

"I know." This confuses me even more. Why would she still want to go up to the roof? Does she want to us a helicopter? "I suppose I'll tell you now." Intriguing... "We're returning to Friar."

A/N: I don't think the beginning of this chapter went very well. Anyway, the next few chapters will probably be short ones. You'll see why soon.


	39. Chapter 39 - A familiar feeling

Chapter 39

DISCLAIMER: I DO NOT OWN THE GOD EATER FRANCHISE HOWEVER I DO OWN MY OC.

Name: Cedrick Esparza

Gender: Male

Hairstyle: Style 7 (Dark Brown)

God Arc: Burning Maiden (Short Blade), Apega Blaze (Sniper Rifle), Kurogane Tower (Shield)

Blood Art: Fatal Riser III

Without so much as a good bye to my team mates, Dr. Rachel and I headed back to Friar via a helicopter. She had told me that whilst I am staying at Friar, Julius will be heading back to the Far East. At least they will have guidance with the Captain being there. I wonder how long I will be on Friar for. Julius was there for a few days, can I expect the same? Oh well, it will be nice to sleep in my bedroom on Friar again.

By the time we arrived on Friar, it was already too late to go on any missions. Instead, with the approval of Dr. Rachel, I gave my greetings to the staff aboard. For the rest of the day, we talked about my recent missions and how things had been around here. So the staff mainly talked about what they have been doing to make sure the God Arc Soldier project could continue. After talking, I headed to my room where I proceeded to lie down on my bed to get some rest. It took about an hour to get used to my bed again but once I had, I had no difficulty getting to sleep.

The next morning, I awake to somebody ruffling my hair in a calm and relaxing motion. I release a sigh of content as I become more aware of my situation, not opening my eyes yet in an attempt for the ruffling to continue. I know who is ruffling my hair; there's only one person that would do it since my mother died. When Dr. Rachel ruffles my hair, it feels as though I am in my mother's lap as she strokes my head. One thing the stroking that my mother and Dr. Rachel have in common is that they don't seem to mess up my hair. I suppose it can't be considered as ruffling then, more of stroking in a neat motion. Her cold hand served wonders in calming me down. The lack of temperature in her hand as she rubbed my forehead was cooling me down and was almost hypnotic.

"Good morning, Cedrick." She speaks finally, I guess she had realised that I was awake. Either that, or she thought her greeting would wake me up. Nevertheless, I can tell she has a motherly smile on her face as she speaks. I open my eyes and look towards her.

"Good morning." I remember that when I ignored her the last time, she persisted on the topic. The last time we were in this situation was when I had a nightmare and she just happened to be in the room. She stroked my head, much like she is doing now, and asked if I had a nightmare. I thought it was obvious and so I ignored her remark. She wanted an answer though.

"Why are you in here, Dr. Rachel?" She was once again in my room, letting me wake up to the dystopian world we live in in a calm and gentle fashion. After I ask my question, I quickly realise that it may sound rude and so I add, "Not that I don't like waking up this way." Dr. Rachel stops rubbing my head and I sit up on my bed so that she won't have to look down when speaking to me.

"It's time for you to help me out." Dr. Rachel speaks her intentions for being in my room.

"You see, following suggestions from Dr. Sakaki, we can now predict when and on what scale a red nimbus will appear. As for your mission though, I want you to assist Dr... Kujo, who is developing God Arc Soldiers." Dr. Kujo? I think I remember him. He was the scientist that was with Director Grem that one time, right?

"Dr. Kujo, recovered from his previous failure, is collecting Aragami cells to upgrade the Soldiers' shields. Can I ask you to assist him in cell collection?"

"Yes, of course." This must be the reason why I was brought back to Friar. Something tells me that even if I had said no, I would still need to help anyway. She smiles wider in response to my answer.

"Thank you. I have informed Fran of the specifics. Please, come and see me once you have finished." Dr. Rachel speaks before leaving my room; allowing me to get ready for the day.

Once I had gotten ready and had my breakfast, I went to talk with Fran.

"Hey, Fran." We had caught up yesterday and had gotten to know each other a little better. No longer do I see her as just the operator that works in Friar. Now, she is more of a friend.

"Good morning, Vice Captain. I have a mission request for you from Dr. Rachel." A greeting and then down to business. That sounds like her. I accept the mission before grabbing my Arc and heading out to the Valley of the Blue Ice to defeat a polar Kongou.

Using my Blaze Arc, inflicting damage to the polar Kongou is relatively easy. However, with this being a solo mission, it means I don't have any help to defeat it.

"Aim for its tail." Well, apart from Fran. She is being a big help during this mission. She had informed me of a few Fallen Ogretails in the area and directed me to them which allowed for quick and easy kills. This Kongou, on the other hand, is a different story. Seeing as how I usually fight as part of a squad, it is usually easier to defeat Aragami since somebody will be helping me. That means that instead of using one effective Arc, there would always be at least one more. Without these other effective Arcs, it takes more time to defeat the monster but it would take even more time to defeat it if I was using an ineffective God Arc. I suppose that is something to be thankful for. Getting back to attacking though, I side step its belly flop attack and run around to its rear end to deliver a few slashes to its tail, ignoring the fact that it gets up until it turns around to face me. I back step so that I am not directly in front of its gaping jaws. I see it curl up into a ball and anticipate its next attack. I move out of its line of attack before it has a chance to attack and change my Arc to Gun Form. After it has rolled past me and come to a stop, I fire four Blaze Bullets at the Aragami's back. Doing so depletes my Oracle Points but it is worth it to unbind the pipes on its back.

"The Aragami is activating! It's attack power has increased!" I observe the Aragami and see it beat its chest a few times before turning towards me. It sprints in my direction and I run at it as well. At the last second, I side step and slash the beast on its exposed pipes as it runs past me. It falls to its stomach as it struggles to regain its energy. I take the opportunity to continuously slash at its unmoving tail. After four slashes, the tail unbinds. I keep slashing at it, though, with the skin underneath the tail exposed, it will be easier to inflict damage.

After ten more hits, the Aragami never got back up. I used my Arc to devour the core before heading back to Friar. Once there, I put my Arc away before visiting Dr. Rachel again. She had thanked me for my efforts but told me that she will still need my help. With what even she doesn't know yet but I need to stay on Friar in case she does need my help with something soon.


	40. Chapter 40 - What is this?

Chapter 40

DISCLAIMER: I DO NOT OWN THE GOD EATER FRANCHISE HOWEVER I DO OWN MY OC.

Name: Cedrick Esparza

Gender: Male

Hairstyle: Style 7 (Dark Brown)

God Arc: Burning Maiden (Short Blade), Apega Blaze (Sniper Rifle), Kurogane Tower (Shield)

Blood Art: Fatal Riser III

A weird sounds disturbs me from my sleep and my eyes flash open at breakneck speed. I try to move my head to see what caused the weird sound but find myself being unable to. Slightly panicking, I try to move my other limbs but am met with the same result. I am unable to move.

'Is this sleep paralysis?' I think to myself, being unable to speak it. I look around my room to find everything in the same place and condition that it was before I went to sleep. Yet, this strange noise, that sounds a lot like a dying animal wheezing on the ground, persists and echoes off of the walls of my room; seemingly growing louder as I pay more attention to it. I am unable to identify the source of the sound. Something in my head tells me that the sound is coming from the floor, though. However, no matter how much I try, I can't move my head to see what it is. I try looking out of the corner of my eye in an attempt to see the source but it doesn't help at all. The source was out of my eyesight. Well, if this is the worst I am to experience during my sleep paralysis, I guess I can tolerate it. I close my eyes, waiting for my sleep paralysis to wear off.

After a few minutes of tolerating the noise, the source of it seems to be growing closer. I can almost feel the source's breath on my ear as it wheezes right next to me. I won't lie, my heart rate has definitely increased after this. Still, I keep my eyes closed. I know that people tend to hallucinate during sleep paralysis and try to dismiss this close proximity exhalation as one such thing.

Ignoring the pained expiration of air seems to do wonders in calming me down. My heart rate has slowed to an almost regular beat. The only thing stopping from reaching a relaxed beat is the feeling of breath on my ear. I would give a sigh, if I could, as the source moves away from my ear; feeling relief, I open my eyes. The relief I felt before dissipates instantly and my heart drops as I see the source of the breathing hovering above my body. A dark shadow hovers over me and I feel a cold sweat forming on my forehead. Thankfully, the shadow disappears and I feel relief again. My heart rate slowly calms before a bright white flash of light illuminates my room.

When it fades, I see that I am no longer in my bedroom. I am very surprised to see that I am in Friar's garden. I look around before looking down to my feet, realising that I am hovering above the large patch of yellow flowers near the tall, old tree which I had sat against during my first conversation with Julius. I look around the garden and find nothing out of place since the last time I went there. The garden was illuminated by natural light as the sun shone through windows of the dome surrounding it. The fact that I am in the garden greatly confuses me. I thought that sleep paralysis occurs only in the person's room and yet, here I am in the garden. Is what I am experiencing different somehow?

What feels like a few minutes later of thinking to myself, I realise that I have now gained partial movement. Hopefully this means that the sleep paralysis is wearing off. I slowly lift my arm upwards and try to reach out, as if attempting to break the paralysis. However, as I do so, I quickly drop my arm as numerous shadows stand in front of me. My heart beats erratically as I notice the shadows. I try to gain a closer look at them by focusing on each one. It doesn't work though. The only thing I am able to ascertain is that they may not be directly caused by people. At least, not all of the shadows. One of which appears to be the shadow of a chair. I try moving closer to these shadows despite my heart's protests at doing so but as I reach the closest of them, they suddenly disappear. That's when it feels as though I am suddenly being picked up from the sky and being pulled at a force that would make every drop of blood in my body rush towards my head.

At a speed that I didn't know I was capable of, my body launches out of my bed and makes a hard, painful landing on the floor of my room. I open my eyes and see that sunlight that had shone through into the garden is now shining into my bedroom. The question is, am I still suffering from sleep paralysis or am I actually awake? I would go with the traditional pinching method, but seeing as how I was able to feel the breath of the shadow on my ear, would feeling pain really make me think I've snapped out of the paralysis? No, I suppose the only way would be to see somebody. After all, that's what I was unable to do during my hallucination, so if I can see somebody and they are not a shadow, that will probably make me think that I'm no longer hallucinating. Without any thought of changing my clothes that I had worn from yesterday, I head straight to Friar's cafeteria.

In the cafeteria, I grab a tray and move up to the serving stands. To my relief, I am able to see the person behind the counter. I give a big sigh of relief, ignoring the weird look I receive from the server behind the counter. With my fears put to rest, now that I know that I am awake, I order my breakfast, consume it and then complete my morning rituals.

As much as I'd like to say that the sleep paralysis didn't concern me, I can't help thinking what it was all about. Was it just a bad dream? Or was it trying to tell me something?

"Cedrick? Are you listening?" Dr. Rachel's words bring me out of my thoughts. I had forgotten all about how she called me into her laboratory to talk to me. I can't even remember what she has been speaking about. Nevertheless, I dismiss the concerned look on her face with a,

"Can you run me by this again, please?"

"Of course, Cedrick." She speaks, adorning a small smile on her face as she speaks. "I need you to collect some Aragami material for me." She informs me and I nod to say that I've understood. "The first material I want you to collect is Simian Armour +. If you have one stored in the terminal, could you extract it for me. Bring it to me once you have it." She gives me my instructions and I walk back to my room to check if I have the material she desires. Luckily, I have five copies of Simian Armour +, so I extract one and return to Dr. Rachel.

"That was quick. May I have it?" She asks and I place the item in her outstretched hand.

"Thank you, Cedrick. Now, I will call upon you when I next need you. Until then, you are free to do as you wish." Upon her words, I leave her laboratory and walk back to my room where I continue to ponder on what my earlier hallucination was about.


	41. Chapter 41 - Back to the Far East

Chapter 41

DISCLAIMER: I DO NOT OWN THE GOD EATER FRANCHISE HOWEVER I DO OWN MY OC.

Name: Cedrick Esparza

Gender: Male

Hairstyle: Style 7 (Dark Brown)

God Arc: Burning Maiden (Short Blade), Apega Blaze (Sniper Rifle), Kurogane Tower (Shield)

Blood Art: Fatal Riser III

The next day, I awake to neither the stroking of my hair or a weird visual and audio hallucination. In fact, I find it strange that I awake to the morning sun shining through the windows. The past couple of awakenings have varied between feeling calm and relaxed to feeling scared and shocked. So to suddenly find myself waking up to normalcy is weird.

After lying in bed for a few minutes, I complete my morning routines. After that, I load up my terminal. I hadn't been able to check it in a while. In fact, the only time I have used it in these past few days is to extract Simian Armour + for Dr. Rachel. Speaking of, I wonder if she has finally found out what else she needs. It may be more material or it may even be an Aragami's core. Either way, I'll need to get it. Anyway, that can wait until later. I want to see if I can make any upgrades to my Arc.

After another five minutes of searching through possible upgrades, I see that none can be made, much to my dismay. Giving up on that though, I decide to do something else that I hadn't done in a while; checking my emails. When I open them up, I see quite a few new emails from the past few days. I click on one of them from Ciel.

 _Subject: A report_

 _It's been a while. How are you doing? I heard that it's almost time for you to return to the Far East Branch. Romeo has been very excited, shouting and waving his hands about wildly saying that we'll go out and meet you on the way back. I have a lot I would like to talk to you about as well._

 _I'm... looking forward to seeing you back home safe._

 _Ciel._

That was nice of her; deciding to check up on me. I feel warm now but what was this about hearing that I'll be returning to the Far East soon? Does Dr. Rachel no longer need my help? Deciding to find out for myself, I head to Dr. Rachel's laboratory.

"Dr. Rachel?" I knock on the door a few times.

"Cedrick? Please do come in." She seems surprised to hear me knocking on the door but soon resumes her usual politeness by telling me to enter. I do just that, making sure to carefully shut the door behind me so it doesn't make too much noise.

"It's a good job that you are here, actually." She speaks and I walk closer to her. "I woul like you to collect some Wight Claws for me. If you have them in your terminal could you please extract them?" So she did need me. I thought she would. She did tell me yesterday that she wasn't finished with my services yet. Nevertheless, I do as she wishes and head back to my terminal, extract the Wight Claws and return them to her. Surprisingly though, she tells me that Dr. Kujo wishes to speak with me which worked out well for her as she wanted to give something to him. Instead, she gave it to me to give to him once I see him. So I set about finding him.

It takes a few minutes but I finally find him on the lower level of Friar. As soon as he sees me, he begins speaking.

"Thank you! Thank you, so much! Because of you our research is making real progress. In fact, your team mates are already conducting a test run with the God Arc Soldiers. This is likely to be the most difficult step.

"Why are the God Arc Soldiers unmanned?" I had to ask him this. I remember that when I drove it, it was a lot easier to defeat Aragami. That Chi-You stood no chance against it and since then, there has been improvements made to them. Surely it would be easier to operate them and destroy Aragami in a fraction of the time. Consider it a large suit of armour if you will.

"A clever question. Allow me to tell you why God Arc Soldiers should be unmanned. Unmanned God Arc Soldiers are just that, unmanned. Do you comprehend?" I do but it isn't much of an answer. I nod my head, sensing that he wasn't quite finished with his explanation. "If they're destroyed, no one is hurt. Not that... I want them destroyed. But when they are occupied by pilots, we're asking God Eaters to go out there and risk their not keep our people safe? Having them pilot-less is the best way forward!" I suppose I can accept that explanation.

"So is Blood a good thing?" We may be helping out now but if these God Arc Soldiers will take over our jobs, we won't be needed.

"Blood is born of Dr. Rachel's tireless research efforts. I would never disrespect her children. She is amazing. One of the most brilliant minds I've ever seen, brave, beautiful. Far beyond me." He goes off on a tangent. Should I bring him back to this conversation? He looks to be daydreaming about Dr. Rachel. "I don't mean anything by that! I respect her as an amazing scientist. Yes, scientist! Nothing more." He speaks in a rushed manner before having a small chuckle, changing his demeanour, "Haha... In truth, it's been a while since I've spoken like this. You're rather easy to talk to." Sensing that the conversation was dying, I decided to hand over the envelope that Dr. Rachel wanted him to have "Huh? What's that?" He questions me as he takes the note I give him and I explain the letter to be from Dr. Rachel. He quickly thanks me for my kindness and ends the conversation, shaking with eagerness to read the envelope.

"Hey, Cedrick!" I hear Romeo shout from a high vantage point. Surely it can't be him though. He should be at the Far East. I turn towards the direction I heard the voice from to see it was actually him. "Ready to head back to the Far East?"

Along the way back to the Far East Branch, we run into a few Aragami that need taking care of. By the time we finish, it is already turning pretty late.

"Awesome! Another job done and done!" I walk to Romeo as he stretches whilst looking at the scenery in the background. "You're one hell of a God Eater! You and me can take down those Aragami any day!" I should hope so. This is my first battle today. It wouldn't be like me to fail it. However, there was something about Romeo which reminded me of before he ran off. He must have something on his mind again. I don't speak and just continue to stare at him. His smiling face staring at me back before it drops and a sad smile replaces it.

"Hey, listen... I've been thinking. How can I... be as good as the others? Like, how can I be more useful to the team? I tried copying Gil, I tried rushing in like Nana... I've tried everything! But... I guess that's just not the way, huh? I'm not them and I shouldn't try to be. I just gotta be the best damn Romeo I can. You're all so amazing, you and the Captain, Ciel and Nana, even Gil. You all do so much that I never could. But that got me thinking. I mean, there's gotta be stuff that I can do that none of you can, right? Blood's an awesome unit. Now, I just gotta find my place in it." After letting Romeo pour his heart out to me, I tell him about how he is the only one that can brighten up the atmosphere no matter the situation. Even when he ran away, the whole of the Far East could feel his absence. Nobody wants that to happen again.

After arriving back at the branch, and receiving some warm welcomes from my unit and others, Julius informs me of a mission that includes Blood, the Far East branch and the God Arc Soldiers. This is due to a large amount of Red Rain being set to pour down onto each satellite base. He informs me of the plan and we get prepared. While preparing though, I hear Romeo having a conversation with Yuno that goes by the idea of having a picnic and Yuno singing a song for Blood.


	42. Chapter 42 - A guarantee worth nothing

Chapter 42

DISCLAIMER: I DO NOT OWN THE GOD EATER FRANCHISE HOWEVER I DO OWN MY OC.

Name: Cedrick Esparza

Gender: Male

Hairstyle: Style 7 (Dark Brown)

God Arc: Burning Maiden (Short Blade), Apega Blaze (Sniper Rifle), Kurogane Tower (Shield)

Blood Art: Fatal Riser III

"That's another one down!" Romeo shouts ecstatically as he gets the final hit on a troublesome Quadriga. He, Julius and I had been battling near one satellite base whilst a God Arc Soldier helps to evacuate the residents of said satellite base into cover. Speaking of Julius, he and I have just defeated a Vajra. I extract its core, seeing as how I have the time. There is only one other Aragami said to be around here and that is some sort of Chi-You. Now, remembering my previous battles with Chi-You, I know that they can be very difficult opponents. Especially since my Arc is only very effective when swiping at the Aragami's claws. I will have to heavily rely on my team mates for this.

Sure enough, ten minutes later and the Chi-You falls to the ground. I take the time to look around the satellite base. Almost everywhere I look, flames envelop the buildings. Burning down many people's homes and their possessions.

"It's terrible." Romeo commented on the state of the slums. These people now have nowhere to live, all because of a few Aragami.

"No." Yuno speaks up for the first time since coming out to join us in helping the residents of the satellite base. If she is here, that must mean that all the residents in this base had been evacuated. "As long as we survive, we'll keep rebuilding. We don't surrender... Ever. That's how it's always been, how it always will be."

"Hey, look... Those clouds, those're-" Romeo speaks and I follow where he is pointing to.

"Red Rain! Everyone, fall back to the shelter! Go!" Julius commands as soon as he sees it. We do as he commands and make sure that the few stragglers that aren't under the cover of the shelter are rushed into it.

"Are you the last one?" Romeo asks Julius.

"Yes, everyone's secure." he answers before reaching for his earpiece, most likely to communicate with the rest of Blood. "Blood Beta, report in. I need a sit-rep, now!" I can't hear Ciel's, Blood Beta's, response but judging by Julius' next words, I imagine that there might be a bit of trouble. "Leave it. Withdraw to the central shelter. Red rain incoming!" After this, Romeo takes up post as the person to check every other unit, starting with Kota. Meanwhile, Julius and I send the residents further into the shelter.

"Blood, your task is to guide the evacuees. Stay sharp." I was already doing that before he instructed but I guess now it is an official instruction. A few minutes later, Romeo informs me that Kota had managed to get through to the shelter as did the residents he was responsible for. I see Romeo rush out to double check that all the residents were heading towards the shelter but an alarming powering down sound from the God Arc Soldiers alerts me to a new problem.

"This is Friar. The God Arc Soldiers have ceased to function. We can't find a clear cause." Fran's voice comes through my earpiece. I imagine that she was speaking to everybody and I guess everyone will have the same thought. There were still defects with the God Arc Soldiers. After Fran though, I immediately hear Kota telling all God Eaters to retreat as well as Erina speaking that not all residents had been evacuated to which he replied to get them to the nearest shelter. That's when the Red Rain begins to fall. It begins with one drop then a few more, then quickly escalates into a shower. Romeo only just manages to make it back into the shelter before it began to shower. Gilbert had since joined us and is now making sure that everyone in the shelter is safe.

"Is that the last of them? Romeo, check the register." Julius instructs him to do so and he rushes over to it. He quickly browses through it and checks the names of all the residents that have been confirmed as being in all the shelters and that are not confirmed to be in the shelters.

"We're missing people from the northern colony. That old couple that... No." I hear his voice breaking. I turn to look back but a sudden broadcast surprises me.

"Can anyone in the Far East hear me?! Please, come in!" The person was clearly panicking and scared.

"We read you! Report!" Julius demands in as short as words as possible, knowing that time is of the essence.

"I need backup. A white Aragami's crashing against the North Gate, aargh!" The broadcast suddenly cuts out meaning that the person is definitely in trouble.

A short while later, Gilbert informs me of who we have in this shelter and I take the register from Romeo to double check that everyone has already been checked off.

Romeo's POV

All I could think about was how that old couple helped me on the day I ran away from the branch and how they haven't been accounted for in the other shelters. I could hear Julius on using his earpiece to instruct the other Blood team and knew that this was my chance. They were distracted. The Captain with the other Blood team and Cedrick and Gilbert talking with each other over who is in this shelter. I quickly threw on one of the two Red Rain resistant coats and with a truly apologetic voice spoke to the Captain,

"Julius, I'm so sorry! I... I have to go!" I ran out from the shelter in the direction of the old couple's house.

"Romeo! Idiot! Get back here!" I ignored Gilbert's protests and continued on my path to the old couples house.

I sprinted a large distance away from the shelter before finally needing to stop for a break. I am close to the old couple's house but as a Garm jumps into my path, I know that I cannot continue until I get rid of it. Otherwise it would be a danger for the couple. I narrowly avoid its lunge by rolling under it and prepare to hit the Aragami. However, a person dressed in the same coat as I am slashes its neck and kills it without a hassle. The person turns towards me and their identity is revealed to be Julius. I prepare to continue on the path to the old couple's house but three more Garms show up. Or rather, two Garms and a Marduk. The same Marduk that Cedrick slashed in the eye. It hadn't healed. The both of us rush towards the monsters but are no match for the swinging forearm of the Marduk. It sends us flying backwards several tens of metres. I struggle to my feet just in time to see Julius receive another forearm attack and be thrown several more metres away in a state of unconsciousness. I rush towards my downed partner to try and defend him from the Aragami rushing towards him. I remember the good times I've had with Blood and put all of them on the line and make a long range slash towards the charging Aragami. I manage to hit the Garm but the Marduk barrels into me, knocking me up high into the air. This will be how I die. I feel the pain as the Marduk hits me just before my head collides with the ground. I won't go down yet though, with my last ounce of strength, I clamber back to my feet and release an enraged shout. I feel power driving through my veins. It's a shame I can't use it though as the Aragami all run away. Seeing this, I crumble to my feet, having used the last of my energy and I black out.

I awake to the shifting of my body and open my eyes to see a pained expression on my holder's face.

"J-Julius... I'm sorry." I managed to spit my words out through a scratchy throat. I was dying. The Red Rain had without a doubt hit me. With prolonged exposure to the Red Rain means a higher risk of dying due to the black plague. "I couldn't defeat it. I wasn't strong enough. Please... the couple... are they safe?" If they had been killed then this would have all been for nothing. My death would be in vain.

"Yes, they're safe, Romeo. Thanks to you, they made it in time." I desperately hope what Julius is saying is true. I had managed to catch the couple out of the corner of my eye just before the fighting had started. I hope that they are safe.

"Y-You promise? Th-That's good. Very good." With that out of the way, I had to apologise. He will be the one to hold me as I die. I didn't want that. "Julius, I'm so... I'm so sorry. I shouldn't..."

"Shhh, Romeo... Don't say any more. We're going to get you help." It's no use Julius, I can already feel that I am dying. In a few short minutes, I'll breathe my last breath.

"No, I rushed off... I was so stupid... I... I didn't mean to..."

"It's fine, 'll be okay. Don't speak."

"I'm sorry... That I was so weak, Julius..." That was it. My last breath. I couldn't even respond to the desperate and pained pleas of Julius as he told me not to go.

"Please, Romeo, please. Open your eyes. If we lose one of our own, this is all for nothing. Please. Don't go!"

Meanwhile...

Cedrick's POV

"That idiot! How could he just run off?!" Gilbert was angrily shouting and it was beginning to scare Nana and I. Speaking of, she and Ciel had joined us a few minutes after they did run off and I was forced to tell them of the situation.

For the next 20 minutes, all I could do was to reassure them that they would both be okay.

"I guarantee that they will be fine." After the fifth time I said this, Gilbert had looked behind me to see a figure walking towards us in the shelter. It was Julius, carrying the lifeless body of our team mate, and more importantly, friend.


	43. Chapter 43 - Romeo's Funeral

Chapter 43

DISCLAIMER: I DO NOT OWN THE GOD EATER FRANCHISE HOWEVER I DO OWN MY OC.

Name: Cedrick Esparza

Gender: Male

Hairstyle: Style 7 (Dark Brown)

God Arc: Burning Maiden (Short Blade), Apega Blaze (Sniper Rifle), Kurogane Tower (Shield)

Blood Art: Fatal Riser III

Once Julius had arrived back at the shelter with the lifeless body of our friend, Romeo was immediately rushed into the infirmary where, for thirty minutes, he was tried to be revived. Nothing the doctor did helped though. It was another thirty minutes before anything was made official. Romeo was killed in action. The news wasn't received well. The cheerful Nana had reverted back to the depressed and distraught Nana from when her Blood Power was awakening. Ciel had managed to keep a rather good emotionless face. Julius and I also had the emotionless look. His is probably because he let it all out on the way back with the corpse of our friend. Me, on the other hand, had to make sure to keep it together for the team. I'm sure Ciel realised that I would need to do this and is trying her best not to let out her emotions. It's another painful few minutes before anything happens.

"Why are you going?" I ask Gilbert as he shuffles out of the door.

"I need to be alone for a bit." He gives a wave before leaving. As soon as he does, Ciel comforts Nana and tells me that they'll be going into her room. This leaves me alone with the Captain.

A few silent minutes pass by before someone does something.

"How are you supposed to get over the fact that a friend has died in your arms?" As it turns out, it is Julius that begins speaking. His voice slightly wavers. Knowing that if my voice were to waver, then my emotions will come spilling out and Julius may even join me. That's not what I should hope for though. Right now, Julius needs my help more than I need his. His question isn't one I can answer straight away. Instead, I opt to do what I think is best. I let Julius continue. A few moments of silence pass. I begin to think that he was expecting an answer. I can't give him one though.

"With his last breath," Julius stops so he can compose himself. The wavering in his voice was becoming more apparent. I will allow Julius to have all the time in the world to compose himself if it means he will feel comfortable talking to this about me. I know that he isn't exactly the type of person to share his feelings with so this must be very hard for him. "He apologised to me for being weak." I immediately understand what Romeo had meant by that. I'm sure Julius knows what it means as well. Romeo thought he was weak because his Blood Power didn't activate. A few moments of silence pass by before I hear a slight sob. I almost couldn't believe that Julius was crying, but due to the situation, i can understand why. I needed to comfort him, though. I walked towards him and pulled him into a hug. That's the only way I know to comfort somebody. Hopefully, even just by giving him a shoulder to cry on, I can help him to express his emotions. I won't lie. Romeo's death has caused me to remember my own parents' death. I'm sure that everybody else has remembered a death in their minds because of this situation. It occurs to me that I would need to check in on everybody else as well. Just to make sure that they are dealing with this healthily. Anyway, Julius, at first, is reluctant to hug me but soon, the weight of Romeo's death comes crashing down onto him and he released silent sobs into my shoulder. I'm sure that he is too embarrassed to release it all in one go. When he gets to his room, he's definitely going to release the rest of his misery, but as long as he knows that I am here for him, then I hope he will be able to recover.

About five minutes later, he stops sobbing, thanks me and briskly walks away, probably to continue crying in his own room. With Julius having being comforted, I wonder who to comfort next. Nana was taken to her room by Ciel. I assume that Ciel will comfort her whilst there. Gilbert though... He wanted time alone. Maybe I should wait until tomorrow to comfort them both. If Gilbert wanted to talk about his feelings, he knows that I am here for him. He can also confide in Haruomi. Yeah, I'll wait until tomorrow.

The next day, we were all sent back to Friar. We were told that Romeo's funeral would take place later that day. All the God Eaters that knew Romeo were invited. By the time the funeral was ready, all of Blood had changed into their special uniforms. Ciel continued to standby Nana as they went through this ordeal. Julius stood near Dr. Rachel whilst Gilbert was near Haruomi, probably not of his own choice. I, on the other hand, stood nearer to the grave with Yuno only a few centimetres away from me.

 _Let the world be turned to dark despair._

As she promised to Romeo, Yuno started to sing. The sun's rays only seemed to shimmer down on Romeo's gravestone with every note. Of course, being the closest to Yuno, I got the most out of the song but it also drowned out the other sounds, like Nana's crying. I smile sadly to myself as I realise that she never got the pieces of chicken that Romeo owed her. I doubt she's too fussed on that though. She'd probably give him the chicken if it meant that he would be revived. It's too late now though, he's already been buried. I should check in with Nana after this. The sight of her, the next joyous one of the group, crying is alarming. Everybody could feel it when Nana was depressed, including me. The sight of her crying was something I never wanted to see again. I wanted to do everything I could to prevent that, but how was I supposed to know that Romeo would die.

 _Death may come, yet still this one thing I swear_

My focus turns to the girl besides Nana, Ciel. I'm having a hard time believing that she has expressed any emotion for Romeo's death. She, like me, understands the importance of not allowing the others see us distressed. Though that doesn't mean that she should suppress her sadness. That's not healthy. I'll need to speak with her as well.

 _All my life I've lived for you alone_

I return my focus to Romeo's headstone. I remember our first meeting. Nana and I had asked a few questions, which he couldn't answer. He welcomed us into Blood and showed us the ropes.

 _And in your arms my sins become atoned_

Suddenly, I remember our first meeting with Gilbert. Whilst Julius took me away from the group to have a talk, Romeo was on the receiving end of a punch courtesy of Gilbert. I remember the surprise I felt at the situation as well as the worry.

( _Let the world be turned to dark despair_

Again, my memory fast forwards, this time to the scene before Romeo ran away. How angry he was and when he lashed out at Gilbert.

 _Death may come, yet this one thing I swear_

 _All my life I've lived for you alone_

I remember the sudden surprise and worry that I felt in the situation. Nana was feeling the same and the feelings escalated as Romeo sprinted away. Relishing the memories, I turn my head away from his gravestone. If I were to continue looking at it, I would be overcome with my emotions. It is important that I don't release them all here. I could feel tears on the brink of overflowing. Instead of letting them though, I blink them back. I spare a glance at the others attending the funeral. The 1st Unit, Kota, Erina and Emil, had attended the funeral. Like me, the captain of the unit is trying his best not to release his emotions. The two behind him though, that's a different story.

 _And in your arms my sins become atoned)_

Looking away from the group, my eyes fall upon an old couple. This was the old couple that had took Romeo in so that he could avoid the Red Rain. The old couple that Romeo had risked, and lost, his life for attempting to protect them. He succeeded in doing so. It's a pity that he can't see that he protected them. From what the couple told me before the funeral, they had a great conversation with Romeo where he told them about everything, including Blood. In their words, they were honoured to meet the unit that Romeo spoke so highly of. Hearing that had almost brought me to tears. I blinked them back at the time but it was really difficult to do so.

 _Let the world be turned to dark despair_

Yuno's sudden singing brought me out of those memories and back to memories of Romeo. Like how I had protected him until his God Arc arrived and the conversation we had after the battle. It was clear to see that, despite the teasing from Nana, he loved the situation; all of us walking back after a hard fought battle with all of our bad memories behind us as we moved on.

 _Death may come, yet this one thing I swear_

I see movement and look to the individual that moved. It turns out that Dr. Rachel was the one who moved as the whispered to Julius about something.

 _All my life I've lived for you alone_

 _I am home_

 _I am home_

A fitting end to the song that signifies where Blood was started and where we all first met Romeo; on Friar; where his grave will remain in an unspoiled condition.

"I'd like to think that Romeo heard that song." I turn to Yuno as she speaks. She turns to me as well, with a smile on her face. It makes me genuinely believe that she believes her words. "That somewhere, he's smiling at all of us." Her words make me smile as well. I give her a nod. I wanted to believe the same thing. She had reignited my hope that somewhere, Romeo is watching over us.

A few minutes after Yuno's song had finished, the first guests began to leave. That's when I decided to walk up to Romeo's grave, get onto one knee and make a quiet promise.

"Romeo, I promise to watch over the unit you fought so hard for. I will try my best to keep everyone's spirits up. You will always be a member of Blood. Watch over us, Romeo." With my silent promise made, I stand up and turn around. That's when a sudden flash appears. My eyes shut themselves as an automatic response to the blinding light but once I reopen them, fear grips my heart. Standing where everybody once was, were black shadows. Was it possible that my sleep paralysis episode had foretold me of this situation? A tightness grips my chest and I briskly walk past the shadows. I lump rises in my throat. Could I have prevented this?


	44. Chapter 44 - A bad friend

Chapter 44

DISCLAIMER: I DO NOT OWN THE GOD EATER FRANCHISE HOWEVER I DO OWN MY OC.

Name: Cedrick Esparza

Gender: Male

Hairstyle: Style 7 (Dark Brown)

God Arc: Burning Maiden (Short Blade), Apega Blaze (Sniper Rifle), Kurogane Tower (Shield)

Blood Art: Fatal Riser III

That night, I couldn't sleep. The thought that I could have prevented Romeo's death was lingering in my mind. If I had taken my sleep paralysis more seriously, I may have noticed that it was foretelling the future to me. The black shadows that I had seen turned out to be the people that were present at Romeo's funeral. It wouldn't be the first time that something like a dream or a nightmare has told me of the future in some way. The first time was in relation to my eyesight. In that dream, I couldn't see anything. Everything was blurry. That is what it was like after the mission with Ciel before Kanon give me an eye test. I couldn't see anything during that mission and had to let Ciel run the operation herself. So how could I ignore this one?

By the time I stop thinking to myself, I look towards my clock. It read 05:45. I had gotten no sleep that night and proceeded to complete my morning rituals. The unit had decided to stay on Friar for a while. Julius and Dr. Rachel had to go to Fenrir Headquarters so I was put in charge of Blood until they returned. We would still need to complete missions and the group knows that. Right now though, I'll let them rest before I call on them for a mission.

I decided to sit in the lobby to wait for the other members of Blood to wake up. A few minutes pass before I slump into the chair. As it would turn out, I had to wait several hours before the first person showed up in the lobby. During this time, I had talked with a few of Friar's staff. The whole atmosphere around Friar isn't exactly a light and friendly one. Far from it, in fact. The only thing I could describe the atmosphere as is a Blood Unit without Romeo. When Romeo ran away, things were bad but it never reached this level. There was always the fact that we knew that Romeo was alive. Now though, his body is pushing up daisies. I won't lie. The atmosphere had gotten to me. It would be impossible for it not to have. I considered Romeo to be the heart of Blood. His happiness and even just his presence was enough to bring a light atmosphere. He had spoken to me a few times about his insecurities in Blood, I never realised how insecure he truly was though. Truthfully, the fact that I will never see him again hasn't sunk in. At least, I don't think it has. If this is how I feel when a friend dies then I must be a truly heartless monster. I don't feel as much pain as the others are feeling now. Julius had cried on my shoulder for crying out loud, and I am yet to shed a single tear. I wonder when I will. I just hope I don't release my tears in front of my team mates seeing as how I am now in charge of Blood until Julius and Dr. Rachel get back from Fenrir HQ.

"How long have you been up for?" Ciel speaks to me in a tone that is reminiscent of the one when she first joined Blood. It was a tone I hadn't heard her use since we became friends - best friends, in her words.

"Not long. How about you?" I tap the seat next to me as I ask my question. She doesn't take the seat though.

"Would you like to go on a mission?" I'm surprised that she is the one to ask that. I would have thought that her and the rest of Blood wouldn't want to do missions for a while.

"Just the two of us? Or do you want to wait until the others are up?" I ask before righting my posture. It wouldn't be very polite of me to slump while having a conversation. However, I do this more for her. I gather that she wants us to go on a mission so that she can clear her mind. Maybe defeating an Aragami or two could help ease her feelings; possibly even avoid the situation for a short while while she drifts off into a dream land where she can forget her worries.

"I'm not sure if they will even come out of their rooms." She gives an awkward smile at this. In all honesty, I didn't think that they would. Nana will still be very upset. I think she was the most hurt by the situation. Nana and Romeo seemed to have a special kind of friendship. In a way, it was similar to the friendship Ciel and I share. Gilbert also had a different kind of relationship that what Romeo and I shared. To Romeo, I was probably an authority figure. Gilbert though, I suppose that they wouldn't admit it but they were like brothers. They would argue and fight just as brothers do. Hence why it is so hard for Gilbert to handle losing Romeo. The two of them had lost so much; Gilbert losing Kate whilst Nana lost her mother. I can't forget Ciel and Julius though. Not only have they lost their parents, they have lost Romeo. At the moment though, for some strange reason, I don't feel as though I've lost him. It's as if I expect Romeo to walk out of the lift and life will continue like normal. My heart feels that way, but my brain knows that that will never happen again.

"Just the two of us then. Make sure to get everything ready and meet me by the entrance. I'll do the same." I stand up and give a few stretches before walking over to the terminal and then eventually, the mission desk.

During the walk to the Abandoned Carrier, I inform Ciel of the mission I had accepted.

"We'll be up against a magmatic Borg Camlann, today. There have been reports of smaller Aragami in the area as well."

"Then I suggest that we take care of the smaller Aragami first." Ciel makes a logical suggestion and we decide to go with it. However, her tone of speech was alarming. She didn't sound like she usually did when on the battlefield. No, she sounded like a trained military combatant just itching to decimate every soldier that breaths. She was no longer a soldier. She had become the reaper of death. Hearing this tone in her voice, I didn't speak. She knew that I would agree with the tactic and so, didn't need my response. The sound of an Ogretail nearby makes her whisk into action. With this Aragami being the only one close to us, I stand and watch as Ciel massacres it. Each of her strikes is well timed and deathly accurate. In fact, she only makes a few strikes which all target the Ogretail's neck. With one final slash, she decapitates the Aragami. Two things cross my mind. One, he was not lying when she said she was trained in many martial arts and two, she suggested this mission to release some steam. Ciel devours the Ogretail's core and we progress.

Having already killed one Ogretail, when we next come to stop, Ciel opts to take on the two Dreadpikes and leaves me with the remaining Ogretail. This time, she doesn't use the same tactics as her previous fight. We can both see the magmatic Borg Camlann a short distance away so we fight whilst trying to remain silent. I aim my Arc's Gun Form at the Aragami and completely deplete my Oracle Points as I shoot three bullets at my target. The bullets impact but not with the Aragami that was my intended focus; instead, Ciel is on the receiving end of my bullets. The Aragami hadn't moved at all and I had missed by a spectacular amount. Thankfully, I had decided to use Friend or Foe bullets so Ciel isn't harmed by them. She does turn towards me in slight surprise though. I just growl quietly in response before rushing towards the attentive Ogretail, making sure to switch my Arc to Melee Form and attack it mercilessly. I find myself surprised again at how many hits the Aragami can take but it eventually falls to the ground.

"Are you okay?" The sudden concerned voice of Ciel from behind me surprises me. I seem to be surprised a lot easier now.

"Yeah, why do you ask?" I enquire, leaning my Arc against my chest so that it extends over my shoulder. She stares at me for a while before she walks off; leading the way to the magmatic Borg Camlann. With confusion evident in my features, I follow after her.

"Are you sure you're okay?" Ciel asks me as I extract the core from the Aragami. It had put up a decent fight but didn't last long with the two of us constantly hacking away at its shell.

"I am, but are you?" Maybe Ciel kept asking if I was okay because she wanted me to ask her the same thing. Maybe this was Ciel's way of opening up. She looks at me critically for a moment before releasing a heavy sigh.

"You should know that I'm not okay." Her voice, while not exactly happy and friendly, is the tone she usually uses when speaking to me. A tone that puts friendship over ranking.

"Yeah, I could tell by the way you battled." I speak as I approach her. What I don't expect is for her to suddenly glare at me in a slightly angry, more annoyed way. As quickly as it happens though, the glare disappears.

"Cedrick, how do you get over the death of a friend?" Ciel's question is a very familiar one and it is still one that I cannot answer. Like what happened when I was previously asked this question, I chose to remain silent. I knew that Ciel wanted to speak more but if she wanted an answer, I couldn't give her one.

"Romeo... His death..." She takes a few breaths to calm herself; eyes closed and hands over her heart. "After escorting Nana back to her room on the day of Romeo's death, I knew that I would need to release my feelings to. However, I bottled it all up to comfort Nana during her time of need." Ciel speaks to me with her eyes closed. Whilst I wonder why, I do not mention it. This may be her way of dealing with what she needs to say. "Then came the day of his funeral. I had bottled all of my sadness up when comforting Nana during the funeral that when I was in my own room, I couldn't release it." Even now as she speaks, small droplets of water begin trickling down her face. "I was awake the entire night but couldn't release my sadness." She opens her eyes and for the first time, I see tears freely overflowing and almost blocking her eyes and vision, "Am I a bad friend?" The unexpected, emotional question loosens my body and my grip on my God Arc loosens as well. I don't even attempt to catch it as it falls to the ground. I had anticipated a question relating in some way to Romeo's death. I never expected that she would degrade herself.

"I couldn't shed a tear for Romeo. Even now, I'm only shedding tears because I fear your answer." I take a shaky step towards her. The girl was breaking down but my body wouldn't let me move to comfort her. My throat had become dry with a lump threatening to form. The sight of Ciel crying is truly distressing for my heart and mind to cope with. So much so that I can't even walk towards her without shaking. "I never wanted Romeo to die but I can't express my sadness for him. For all of last night, as I lay awake on my bed, all I could think about is how I shouldn't form emotional attachments to anybody." This came to be a surprise but I now how she feels. I've felt the same way. Another shaky foot steps towards her and she watches my every action, only seeming to cry more. "Even though I said I would be your best friend," I could barely understand her through her sobs, "I even thought of ending our friendship! I didn't want to see the same thing happen to you, or anybody for that matter." It was heartbreaking for me to hear that from her. Nevertheless, I force my body to make cooperate with me and wrap my arms around her in a tight hug. She clutches onto me and holds me for dear life, her head rests against my shoulder and I feel her tears dampening my shirt.

"Ciel," I didn't really know what to tell her. Of course I didn't think of her as a bad friend. She's my best friend for crying out loud! Yet, I still don't know what to tell her. Not being able to form a logical response, I decide to let my heart speak. "Are you sure that you are not just misdirecting your sadness?" My heart had spoken and as it did so, my brain decided to form logical reasoning to push the question. I feel her grip slightly loosen but she still takes a hold of me. "Think about it. You bottled up your feelings to help Nana with hers. You know that you wanted to cry but decided to help Nana instead. You know that a bad friend wouldn't do that. That means that you originally wanted to cry for Romeo but decided not to." As I speak, her grip seems to tighten and she buries her head into my shoulder. "Do you want to know what I think?" I whisper to her. Her sobs had calmed and now she was just releasing tears into my shoulder.

"What?" The pained, almost desperate mumble is horrible to hear. This isn't the Ciel I know and I don't ever want to hear her like this again. I suppose it is my fault for asking her a question.

"I think that somehow, the thought of you being a bad friend got stuck in your head and you believed it. Thus, transferring the pain and sadness you felt from Romeo's death into the idea of you being a bad friend. You know that you are not a bad friend." I grip her closer and decide to whisper to deciding factor into her ear. "Maybe you thought that you were to blame for Romeo's death. The fact that you couldn't do anything to help him made you think that you were a bad friend." As I finish my whisper and move my head away from her ear, she moves her head from my shoulder to look into my eyes. I can tell she is searching for some kind of signal that I am telling the truth. With this being spoken from the heart with logical reasons courtesy of my brain, I know it is the truth. She doesn't know that though and has to search my eyes to find something to tell her that I am telling her the truth. I make sure to look directly into her eyes, or what I can see of them anyway. I bet she is probably thinking the same thing about mine. She can only see the one eye since the other is fake and covered by my eye patch. Her eyes though, they're still tearing up like a waterfall. It makes viewing her beautiful silver eyes almost worthless. It only takes a few seconds before her eyes take on a more happy tone and her face does the same, showering me with a large, and highly warming smile. I had reached through to Ciel and helped her overcome Romeo's death. The rest, is something only time can heal.


	45. Chapter 45 - Unequipped for this battle

Chapter 45

DISCLAIMER: I DO NOT OWN THE GOD EATER FRANCHISE HOWEVER I DO OWN MY OC.

Name: Cedrick Esparza

Gender: Male

Hairstyle: Style 7 (Dark Brown)

God Arc: Burning Maiden (Short Blade), Apega Blaze (Sniper Rifle), Kurogane Tower (Shield)

Blood Art: Fatal Riser III

Following the mission and after we arrived back at Friar, Ciel opted to continue her work on the Blood Bullets. I suspect that she is trying to keep Romeo's death off of her mind by working but at least she has released her pent up feelings. Having nothing else to do, seeing as how I believe Nana and Gilbert won't come out of their rooms, I decided to go to my room an fiddle with my terminal. Whilst doing that, I receive an email from Julius and decide to check it out.

 _Subject: (None)_

 _I've looked over all the reports from the Far East Branch. Congratulations on your mission's success. I apologise for leaving at this most important of times, but I'm here now working to create a new initiative with Dr. Rachel. I wanted to keep you abreast of developments here, but everything is currently top secret. Don't let anyone else know about this for the time being._

It sounds as though they arrived at Fenrir HQ safe from harm. That is very good considering that everybody is currently in mourning over one of the members of team. It would probably destroy everybody to have more people die on us. After reading Julius' email, I headed to my bed.

Again, I couldn't sleep. The after events of the mission I went on with Ciel were still playing in my mind. Ciel thought that she was a bad friend because she hadn't shed a tear for Romeo. I haven't shed a tear for him either. Does that make me a bad friend? No matter how many times I try to follow my own advice that I had given to Ciel, I still feel as though I am. I helped Ciel get over her worries, but were they really dispelled? Or were they just transferred to me? I am beginning to feel like I have been a bad friend now. These thoughts constantly haunted my mind. Every time I had thought that I wasn't a bad friend, there would always be one thought to counter it and vice versa. My brain was becoming over active and this prevented me from sleeping. I turn my head towards my digital clock. It read as 03:27. It was still relatively dark outside but it was beginning to brighten as time went on. I stared out of the window until the sun came up which is when I decided to get ready for the day. I complete my morning routine and spare a last glance to my clock. Only half an hour had past since the last time I had looked at it. Nevertheless, I walk out of my room at a slow, quiet pace. Not just to be silent but to help ease my tired self into walking while suffering from sleep deprivation.

Shockingly, I am not the first person awake. My eyes widen as they fall upon the form of a girl. Well, my one eye sees the girl whilst the other is just a useless, fake eye. I approach the person who is sitting in a slumped position on the couch. As I get closer, I'm surprised to see that the person is Nana. I attempt to greet her but her head, and thus eyes, focus on the ground. I crouch down in front of her.

"Nana?" I speak in a level that is slightly above a whisper. I wasn't quite sure if she was asleep, after all, I can't see her eyes from this angle. I place a hand on her shoulder and her head whizzes up on shock. As our eyes meet, I realise the pain she is really in. Compared to the usually happy Nana that I have become accustom to, this Nana looks like a shadow of her former self. Her eyes are red with tears with her cheeks stained with their tracks. Her lips tremble and I only now realise that her hair is a mess. As we look at each other, Nana must have seen something in my eyes. Whatever she had seen causes her to quickly wipe her eyes with her arms.

"Hi, Cedrick?" Now, I'm sure that Nana intended to speak with her usual positive, energetic vibe. Instead, what came out was a sad tone that attempted to mask her depression. My mind wanders to Romeo's funeral and how Nana had cried for the whole duration of it. It was clear to see that Nana was still feeling the effects of Romeo's death. My heart ached for her. The two of them had a special friendship. I'm not sure what their relationship was but I get the feeling that Romeo was one in a million for her. It must have crushed her to find out that he had died.

"Nana..." Is all I can say as a response. My own voice was beginning to reflect the sadness I felt for her for being in this state.

"Did you need something?" Again, she attempts to hide her depression from me. What I don't understand is why she is trying to hide it. Ciel had been comforting her, right? That means that Nana can cry in front of her, why does she feel the need to hide her sadness from me? In all honesty, I didn't know how to answer her question. If I were to tell her that I was checking up on her, she would probably dismiss my worries by saying she is fine.

"Actually, the two of us are going on a mission." I speak before actually thinking it though. As Nana slumps back into her seat, I get the feeling that she doesn't really want to go on a mission.

"I don't really feel like doing a mission." She speaks in a tone that is only slightly more audible than a whisper. It must have pained her to say that seeing as how she is hiding her sadness from me. Unfortunately for her though, I wasn't going to take that for an answer.

"Nana, you know that as a God Eater, it is our job to defeat Aragami. It is recommended that we complete one mission per day. You didn't complete a mission yesterday, did you?" With silence being her response as she bows her head down again, I know that I am right that she hasn't completed a mission. She still doesn't look as though she wants to complete a mission. I give a heavy sigh. It looks as though I'm going to have to do something that I don't enjoy doing. "Nana!" I take a commanding tone and she forces her head to look at me, "As the Vice Captain of Blood, I order you to accompany me on a mission." I didn't like to use my rank to get things, but this had to be done. Hopefully, a little time from Friar, and thus Romeo's grave, will be all that she needs to help her get over his death. Reluctantly, Nana agrees to the mission. I tell her to meet me by the entrance once she is prepared. I too, will need to get prepared. Like leaving a note to tell Fran, who is probably still asleep, that Nana and I are out of Friar.

The two of us have been walking for five minutes, and already we both feel exhausted. I hadn't slept since Romeo's death and I'm sure that Nana hasn't either. Our feet slide across the ground and make a lot of noise as they do so. I just hope that once we find an Aragami, we'll be able to fight it without trouble. I was having to widen my eyes every few steps in an attempt to become more aware. I chuckle quietly to myself as I realise that, even if I wanted to go to sleep, the whole situation about Romeo and my friends getting over his death would prevent me from doing so. Maybe all I need to do is to keep thinking about how I will help everybody overcome his death.

Another five minutes pass and it was clear to see just how exhausted we both were. Whilst we were both dragging our feet, Nana is about ten metres behind me and is having trouble keeping her large hammer up. I, on the other hand, have a short blade which makes it easier for me to carry. If I was carrying my own Boost Hammer, I would probably already have fallen due to exhaustion. Truthfully, I am glad that the sun is not high in the sky. If it were, I would have probably fainted by now. I'm sure Nana feels the same way. In hindsight, it wasn't a good idea to go on a mission. Yet, no matter how much I complain in my head, Nana doesn't speak her complaints. I begin to worry about her before hearing an Aragami's roar from not too far away. I halt as I try to figure out the direction it is coming from. As I look around, I notice that Nana continues walking and is now in front of me. She probably didn't even notice that I had stopped. I grab onto her jacket to force her to stop. The look she gives me as she turns her head makes me wonder about the expression she would use if I had kicked her pet. I let go of her jacket and signal to her to follow me as we walk to a 45o angle from the path we were originally following.

I stop, and force Nana to stop, as we come across the Aragami that had roared. In the area in front of us, two Cocoon Maidens and an Ogretail lurk.

"Let's go, Nana." I tell her before jumping down into the area and firing three bullets towards the Ogretail. Being the most nimble, defeating that target would be the most logical thing to do. One of my bullets hit it but the others skew away from the target. I grit my teeth as that is the second time that I have missed such a simple target that didn't notice me before I shot the bullets. Nevertheless, I don't let my anger get the best of me and I sprint towards the, now aware, Ogretail. To my panic, as I reach a striking distance, my foot snags on something and makes me fall face-first into the ground. I look up to find the Ogretail's feet only inches in front of me so I force myself to roll to the side. I look towards that spot to see that the Ogretail's jaws would have been closing on me. I breath a sigh of relief,

"Ow!" Something had seared my back. It didn't take long to notice that the Cocoon Maidens were fighting as well. Still, my best chance of winning comes from destroying the Ogretail first. With this in mind, I run towards the Ogretail and uck under its jaws to deliver a fatal rising attack on it. The Ogretail is launched several metres into the air before falling not too far away. I run towards it, making sure to dodge the Cocoon Maidens' long range attacks before delivering the final blow to it. Once I have extracted its core, I move onto the Cocoon Maidens.

"You can help out at any time, you know!" I shout with an annoyed expression as I devour the cores of the two Cocoon Maidens. During my battle, I had spared a few glances in her direction. Every time I did, I noticed that she was still in the same position in the same place; on top of the ledge in a crouched position from when I had to stop her before she walked off of the ledge without analysing the situation. I walk closer to Nana. With her being on a ledge though, the communication between us doesn't get very far. She's probably in another daydream like I had found her in earlier. With this in mind, I look around for something to help me climb up the ledge and reach her. Maybe it was a mistake to bring her on a mission after all. She sits and holds her God Arc tightly in her hands. "Come on, Nana. Fighting Aragami will help to get your mind away from it." I speak, still finding no way to climb up to the ledge. Still, she sits in an unmoving position.

"Nana-" I say pitifully but the sound of many legs hitting the ground take my attention. I turn around and see that, emerging from another part of the Abandoned City, a Borg Camlann enters the battlefield. "Nana," I speak in a voice that is quieter than the others ones, hoping that it won't fall on deaf ears. "I need your help." Still no movement from her. "Nana!" I shout, I realised that it would be useless to speak in a quiet tone if she didn't respond to my other tones. I was only really speaking quietly to avoid being heard by the Borg Camlann. It's roar tells me that it has heard and it begins scurrying over to me. "I need you help!" I shouted, my back now towards her as I face the Aragami.

Without another word, I rush towards the Aragami and slash its front legs before it comes to a stop. If it had felt any pain, it doesn't show it.

"Damn it." I grunt as I realise that I am not equipped to fight a Borg Camlann. My Arc has the elemental attribute of Blaze which this Aragami has a resistance to. If I am to defeat this by myself, seeing as how Nana still hasn't moved from her spot, this is going to take a lot of time. Moving myself away from the Aragami, I shoot a few bullets in its direction before reverting my Arc back to Melee Form. With the target being larger than the Ogretail from before, all of my bullets hit. Although they don't hit where I intended for them to hit. I wanted them all to hit the Aragami's legs, unfortunately, only one hit its legs. The other two hit its shield.

"Let's see how tough you are without a shield to hide behind." I speak to myself before charging in and landing another attack on its shield. Again, it does very little damage.

"Fuck!" I couldn't help but express something. I am getting very annoyed and very angry at this creature because I hadn't anticipated running into it and thus, couldn't come prepared. My eyes widen as I see the Borg Camlann's scorpion-like tail threaten to split me in two as it comes crashing down from the height it was held at. I barely avoid being hit by it. Well, that's what I thought anyway. As soon as the Aragami had missed, it decided to assault the ground around it. The speed of its attacks whipping up a whirlwind in each direction. One of the whirlwinds connects with me and it feels as though I am being pelted with shrapnel.

"Ahh!" I was forced to scream as the whirlwind slashed into my clothes with the worst being my upper body. There were so many cuts to my shirt that I'm surprised it is still on me. Nevertheless, in my exhausted state, another attack like that could finish me off.

"Nana! Help me out!" Again, no response. It looks like I really will need to do this alone. I look to the Borg Camlann and realise that it is heading towards me at a rather fast pace with its tail leading the way. I forced myself to roll out of the way and only narrowly avoided being trampled on by its multiple legs. Doing so, however, left me without my God Arc. I had dropped it after being subjected to the Borg Camlann's whirlwind attack and was forced to leave it as I rolled. That turned out to be a big mistake, and possibly my last. The Borg Camlann is now only metres away and I have nothing to defend myself with. I'm forced to back up and soon find myself against a wall with nowhere to escape to. The Aragami raises its tail so I do the only thing I can do.

"Nana!" I could hear the pain and fear in my voice but it was coupled with something else. What was it? As the Aragami's scorpion-like tail descends at a breakneck speed, I realise what it was. It was disappointment. I was disappointed. Why? It was probably disappointment in myself. I was unable to defeat the Aragami and now, I'll be joining Romeo; pushing up daisies... I close my eyes and accept my death. I feel a jab in my chest...


	46. Chapter 46 - Extent of my injuries

Chapter 46

DISCLAIMER: I DO NOT OWN THE GOD EATER FRANCHISE HOWEVER I DO OWN MY OC.

Name: Cedrick Esparza

Gender: Male

Hairstyle: Style 7 (Dark Brown)

God Arc: Burning Maiden (Short Blade), Apega Blaze (Sniper Rifle), Kurogane Tower (Shield)

Blood Art: Fatal Riser III

Also, please leave a review.

I grunt in pain as the beast's tail jabs into me; piercing the skin where I feel the blood trickling out. I was still alive though, that is what surprised me. Had the Aragami decided to spare me? No, they're not capable of thought. Why aren't I dead then? I dare not to open my eyes, fearing that the moment I do so, the Borg Camlann will finish me off.

"You're not going to kill my friend!" I hear Nana's angry exclamation and my eyes shot open to see what was happening. Nana had gotten her God Arc part of the way between The Aragami's tail and I and was struggling to stop the tail from piercing me. With a grunt, she pushes the tail upwards in an upper-cutting motion. Whether she was aware that it had pierced me, I don't know, but what I do know is that its tail, being stuck inside me, tore part of my chest as it was forcibly removed.

"Ahh!" I shout at the moment I feel the tail being ripped out of me. Out of the corner of my eye, I see Nana s give me a quick look before shouting,

"Sorry!" Her apology isn't going to do much but if she felt the need to apologise, she must not have known that the Borg Camlann had pierced through me. I use my hand to cover the pierced area but not before looking down and viewing how bad of a wound it was. The tail had left a wound that was one inch deep followed by a depth-decreasing scar the closer it gets to my neck. You could tell where the Aragami had pierced me and where its tail had left. Ignoring that though, I cover the wound and view the situation. Nana is battling the Aragami single handedly and appears to be winning. Her Arc looks to be a lot more effective than mine. That doesn't mean that I should lie back and let her do all of the work. With a pained grunt, I move my body into a standing position. The pain of my chest almost colliding with my legs as I got up was excruciating.

"I'll have to get this checked out." I whisper to myself as my eyes lock onto my God Arc quite some distance away. With a grunt every time I take a step, I reach my Arc and pick it up with a lot of discomfort. I make sure that my Arc is in Gun Form before deciding to help out Nana. I mean, my Arc is almost ineffective in Melee Form against this Borg Camlann, at least with Gun Form I have different attribute bullets I can use. Deciding not to use the Blaze Attribute, I instead use a Spark bullet. I remove my hand from my wound and use them both to aim and shoot at the Aragami, making sure to avoid shooting Nana. It turns out to be difficult to avoid shooting Nana seeing as how she is jumping around a lot. It isn't until a few shots later that I realise that it doesn't matter if I hit Nana since my bullets are the Friend or Foe Blood bullets.

A few minutes of constantly having to refill my Oracle Points and depleting them as I shoot very effective bullets, the monster falls to the ground. To make my Arc feel lighter, I switch it back to Melee Form. This allows me to use my hand to cover the wound on, what I now realise to be, my shirtless body. It must have fallen off after Nana pushed the Borg Camlann's tail away. Well, it is useless now. I don't even know where it dropped. Anyway, there are more important matters now, like how Nana is now motionless, holding her Arc to her chest with her back to me. I walk closer to her.

"Nana?" I speak with a questioning tone. Why would she suddenly stop bouncing around? "Nice work." I put my God Arc down to put my hand on her shoulder. I had thought about removing my other hand from my wound but that would mean placing a bloodied hand on her shoulder, Regardless, I am thankful for my decision as, not even three seconds after placing my hand on her shoulder, Nana engulfs me in a bear hug. The pain I feel as she crunches me into her grip isn't anywhere near as painful as feeling her tears against my open wounds. The pain is unbearable but, for her sake, I try to bear it. I wrap my free arm around her to return the hug.

"You almost died, too." With just those words, I could tell that she is still hurting over Romeo's death.

"You saved me though." I manage to whisper to her despite the pain. I'm not sure how well I did in hiding the pain but she eases her grip on me after that. She worms her head further into my chest as she continues to cry. Nana is not as tall as Ciel so she can't cry on my shoulder, instead she uses my chest. However, if she had loosened her grip because she knew she was making my injuries hurt, why would she push herself against my injuries to cry?

"What made you decide to save me?" I ask her hoping that if I could get a response out of her then I could figure out how to make her feel better.

"You're my friend. I don't want to see you die too." She murmurs against me. Her breath, at such a close proximity, made me shudder slightly in her grasp.

"Nana, we are all upset that Romeo lefts us too early but we still have a job to do." I make her think about what her jobs actually are.

"I know." She responds, still muffled against my chest but her sobs are beginning to die down.

"If we don't fight, many other people will feel the same way that you feel now because there will be more deaths." Hearing no response, I continue. "You need to fight for your fellow God Eaters as well. Just like today, you need to protect your friends, protect the God Eaters."

"Why couldn't we protect Romeo?" She speaks and I can tell she is beginning to tear up again.

"We tried. We did all we could but Romeo died because he had something to protect as well. He wanted to protect the people that helped him. He did that for us so many times but this time, he wanted to protect somebody else. He succeeded but it cost him his own life." I finish speaking and let her cry against me. She doesn't respond to my speech but I have the feeling that she understands what I was trying to say. That is why she is relinquishing her hold on her water works. Maybe this will be the final time that she will cry for Romeo, although I highly doubt it. Depression won't go away because of a few sentences, that I know. I understand that Nana is depressed. The reason why she hadn't spoken to me about her feelings before today is because she didn't want to worry me; she feels as though she would be a burden by expressing herself to others. I wonder if Ciel knew this and kept with her for support. I force myself out of my musing and comfort her during her sobs by patting her on the head and back every so often, making sure to keep my wound covered.

"We failed! We're not good enough to be God Eaters!" She wails out every so often. I won't lie, it hurts me to hear that. Although, I do know that sufferers of depression say things that they don't always mean. I know that too well.

Her wails soon turn to quiet sobs and I don't let go of her until she has completely stopped crying. She steps away before she does which is when I see how bad of a state she is in.

"There's a river nearby. Maybe we should clean you up before we get going." Although Nana is confused by my suggestion, I point to my chest where she notices the smeared blood on it. She instantly moves her hand towards her face and wipes her cheek, confirming that she does indeed have my blood on her. She looks down to her body as well and notices my blood around her neck and upper chest. Other than that though, there is the fact that her eyes make it apparent that she has been crying. One thing is for sure though, Nana isn't wearing any make-up as proved by a lack of smears of it.

"haha, yeah." A small, sad chuckle escapes her lips but we both agree to clean ourselves up a bit. At the river I, hesitantly, decide to smear some water into my wounds. I have limited knowledge of medicinal practices but I do know that these wounds could possibly get infected.

"Cedrick," I turn my head to Nana, having deemed the amount of cleaning to my wounds to be sufficient and incredibly painful. "I'm sorry that I wasn't paying attention and you got so badly injured." I was about to dismiss her worries but she leaves me no room to interrupt. "Do you need a medic helicopter?" I could hear the worry in her voice. I didn't want her to worry though.

"I'll be fine. When we get back to Friar I'll have someone check out my wounds. I don't think I'll need much treatment though." I dismiss her worries, at least I hope to. Still, the worry remains on her face but we begin walking back to Friar.

Upon returning to Friar, Nana and I part ways. I walk through the lower floor of Friar and reach the lift, ignoring the glances I get along the way as I silently wish that these people would keep my condition to themselves and not speculate about it behind my back. I also hope that I don't run into another member of Blood. Although, that is probably asking for too much. Nana is bound to run into either Ciel or Gilbert and tell them what happened on the mission. That would just worry them and I really don't want to do that at the minute. We're all still feeling the effects of Romeo's demise. I wouldn't want to add to their troubles.

When the lift comes to my floor, I step in and head press the button for the Infirmary floor.

"So far, so good." I utter. I hadn't ran into anybody yet which is something I am thankful for. All I need to do now is head to the infirmary. At the moment that the lift doors open, I see someone standing in the way that I really didn't want to see. At least, not right now.

"What the hell happened to you?!" He shouts in surprise at my condition. I step out of the lift before answering.

"A Borg Camlann." It was a simple response but hopefully he will understand. I walk to the Infirmary with Gilbert following me, persistently asking questions.

"Still? You should have been able to handle a Borg Camlann by yourself!" I kept silent and allowed him to vent. He was obviously worried about my condition. "I know that you can handle tougher Aragami by yourself!"

"Listen, Gilbert." I stop warning and turn towards him to speak. "If you want answers, you should ask Nana. As you can see, I'm in a pretty bad condition right now and don't really have the time to answer your questions." I tell him before walking into the Infirmary.

"I'll be speaking to you again after I've spoken to Nana. You shouldn't have let yourself get in that condition!" He shouts after me. It seems as though I am going to be berated once I've been treated. I can deal with that later though. Well, I'm going to have to anyway but after explaining the situation to the nurse, she preps me for treatment.

Five hours later, the treatment has finished. I've been sewed back up and have been told that, due to my God Eater abilities, my marks will completely heal within a few days. With my marks being treated, I head back to my room where I immediately log onto my terminal and look for any upgrades to my Arc. Seeing as how one Borg Camlann caused me so much trouble. Gilbert was right, I should have been able to handle it so why couldn't I? Regardless, as I fiddle around on the terminal, a message from Julius appears.

 _Subject: (None)_

 _I'll be returning to Friar shortly._

 _I have something I'd like to talk to you about when I get back. See you then._

Why would he want to talk to just me? I don't know whether to be surprised or scared. It could be to say that I am being demoted from Vice Captain. That won't hurt me too much, I suppose but why would I be demoted? I log off and head to my bed where I ponder and fear over why Julius wants to talk to me alone.

I don't know how long I lie down and think to myself but when I hear the door open and see Ciel, Nana and Gilbert all enter will solemn faces, I can't help but think the worst.


	47. Chapter 47 - Crumbling and Rebuilding

Chapter 47

DISCLAIMER: I DO NOT OWN THE GOD EATER FRANCHISE HOWEVER I DO OWN MY OC.

Name: Cedrick Esparza

Gender: Male

Hairstyle: Style 7 (Dark Brown)

God Arc: Burning Maiden (Short Blade), Apega Blaze (Sniper Rifle), Kurogane Tower (Shield)

Blood Art: Fatal Riser III

 **This chapter is courtesy of Subzero Dragon. You may remember that Subzero Dragon has helped me on a number of occasions with the predecessor of this story. Well, I wasn't quite sure how to do this chapter and enquired for their help. I believe that Subzero Dragon has done an amazing job with this chapter and it is much better than the draft that I had.**

 **So please, leave a review or even message Subzero Dragon about what you think about the chapter.**

I can only stare as my teammates all enter. They all have very serious expressions on their faces. Even Nana looks uncharacteristically stern. What could they all want? Something about their behavior makes me uneasy, and I can't help worrying. Is it about my performance on the missions? I can't focus lately, I keep having friendly-fire issues, and now I nearly got killed by a Borg Calmann and it wasn't even a Fallen variant. I can't blame them for losing faith in me. I must be a terrible Vice Captain…

"Cedrick," Gilbert says as the three of them approach me, "We really need to talk."

"What is it?" I sit up and attempt to put on a passive face.

Nana leans over my bed at me. "We're really worried about you. Are you okay?"

"I'm doing alright. Is something wrong?" I try to act calm, but I don't think I am successful because of what Ciel says to me next.

"Cedrick, you have been acting really off lately…"

I don't need Ciel to clarify what she means. I know what she's telling me. I haven't been myself, and I know full well why. It's because I'm unable to come to grips with Romeo's death. But they don't need to know that. They have their own issues without me burdening them further. I say nothing and instead get to my feet. As I walk over to the couch, my teammates follow and sit nearby. Ciel and Nana sit on either side of me, and Gilbert takes up a chair across from the couch.

Ciel is the next to speak. "I heard all about what happened during that mission with Nana. You… you almost died!" Ciel's tone rises, making me glance up at her. She has a look of thinly veiled worry on her, and it cuts me deep to see her make that face. "Cedrick, you are not okay, are you?"

I break eye contact again. "I'm sorry. I don't know what I was thinking…"

"Probably the same thing we all are. You were thinking about Romeo." I stare up at Gilbert and he continues, "Come on, say something will you?"

"What do you want me to say?" I say, regretting instantly how unkind I sound.

"Anything!" Nana encourages with a small smile, "You've done so much to help us. Now it's our turn to help!"

"You keep pushing yourself so hard, Cedrick. You do not need to keep this burden to yourself." Ciel puts a hand on my shoulder, and I turn to her next. "You can trust us."

Gilbert nods his agreement, "That's right. But you gotta speak up first. If you keep holing up like this, you might wind up worse off than this. You might be next!"

I look between my friends. I am reluctant to admit it, but Gilbert is right. My lapses in concentration are not insignificant. I've put myself and my friends in serious danger because of me. What's more, I've been making my friends worry about me because I can't admit my fears… no that's wrong. It's not that I can't admit my feelings, that's not it at all. It's that I'm… scared? Confused? Angry? But that's wrong too! I have no right to feel like that when everyone else is still suffering.

But everyone has a point. Julius is probably about to demote me anyway, so what am I even trying to prove by pretending I'm okay? May as well just tell them. I take a deep breath and decide to start telling them. "I'm all mixed up about Romeo. I keep thinking I could've done something…"

The room was silent for several long moments before Ciel said, "You are not to blame for this. We were all confused that day."

"Confused?" I shake my head and snort in disbelief, "Confused is when you forget to eat breakfast before a mission. I was not confused. I was scared. I was too damn scared to do anything! Julius is a better leader than I could ever be. He ran through the Red Rain to defend Romeo. And what did I, the Vice Captain, do? I stood there like a weakling!" I slam a fist into the couch cushion in frustration, making all three of them jump and stare at me. "What kind of Vice Captain puts his fears before the welfare of his team?!"

I ball my fists, shaking in anger. After some time, I finally gain the nerve to look at my friends. They are all exchanging glances, like they don't know what to say to me. I instantly feel even worse. Now I've -really- done it. I lashed out at them when they didn't even deserve it. They're in pain too. That was completely unfair of me.

I feel even worse than ever. But what can I tell them? That I'm numb? That I'm angry at myself? That I feel like this is all a bad dream, like I simply haven't spoken to Romeo in a while? A part of me feels dirty for even thinking like that. Even still, none of this feels real. I can't even put it into words. I'm so ashamed that I'm unable to maintain eye contact and stare at the floor for the thousandth time today.

I am about to apologize for my outburst when Ciel breaks the silence again. "Don't blame yourself. You had no way of knowing what was going to happen. Cedrick, you are a stronger person than you give yourself credit for. In fact, it is thanks to you that we are still a team."

I look at her. I'm a pathetic leader, and a worse ally. What in the world could she talking about? "What are you saying?" I ask, unsure what she's getting at.

Ciel smiles a little at me, seeming to reminisce. "Remember when I got caught in the Red Rain? Nobody was willing to spare any manpower to rescue me. Who could justify putting more lives at risk to save one lost soldier? I was ready to accept my fate, cruel as it was. But you did not believe in giving up. You risked the Plague, injury, court-martials, even your own life, just to save me! That is hardly something an unworthy leader would do."

Nana nods vigorously, "Yeah! You know when my Blood Power first awakened and I couldn't control it? You were the one who helped me understand my feelings and handle that power." She grins at me, "If you hadn't helped me to manage my powers, I'd probably have been Aragami chow. I still owe you super big for that!"

"I seem to remember a certain bold kid helping me overcome my own loss," Gilbert says with a hint of wit, "He didn't think about how powerful that Caligula could have been. Instead, he stood by me as I tried to push him away. He even fought on when his God Arc had been knocked away! Brave, through and through. That's the kind of man who deserves to be called a leader."

I grit my teeth in irritation and dismay, lowering my head yet again. "Did you know I didn't cry at Romeo's funeral? What kind of monster can't even cry for his teammate? I am not worthy of your sympathy. I am a disgrace both to Blood and to all God Eaters… I'm a coward." The room is painfully quiet as I brood in my own disgust.

"You know, I think we may be expecting too much of Cedrick." I look up yet again at Gilbert who continues, "We've all been through loss before, but not him. He's got the right to be upset."

I shake my head, "Not true. Both of my parents were killed by Aragami when I was little. This isn't my first time losing someone…"

Gilbert seems taken aback by my statement. "Oh. Sorry. That was pretty blunt of me."

I shake my head, "No, it's my fault. I was the one who never told any of you."

Ciel empathizes with me, "So Cedrick is an orphan too… how terrible!"

"Why didn't you say something earlier?" Nana asks, "You should know by now you can tell us anything."

She's right. They trust me with their darkest secrets, their weaknesses, their lives, and how do I pay them back? By lying to their faces. I feel absolutely shameful. "I'm sorry. I feel like I've been lying about everything lately. And it's not just the thing about my past either. You all were worried about me, and I pretended I was fine! But…"

"Cedrick…" I hear Ciel try to get my attention, but I hardly notice.

Something snaps just then, and I feel tears start to come as I bury my face in my hands, "I'm -not- fine! I'm… not… fine!" I feel like everything I have been keeping walled up for the past few days has broken loose inside me, and I cannot hold back another second. I'm not sure how long I spend just sobbing into my hands. By the time I've regained my senses, they are staring at me. I get embarrassed at my display, but nobody seems to think ill of me for it.

"There is no right or wrong way to mourn, Cedrick. Do not feel like you have to act a certain way. Not being able to feel what others are feeling at the time does not make your own feelings any less real."

"Ciel…"

"Yeah, she's right!" Nana chimes in, "And you can't give up either!"

"Nana…" by now I can no longer hold back a smile.

"Now that looks more like the Cedrick I know. Smile more. It suits you better."

"Gil…" My smile grows further and I nod.

"We're always here for you, okay?" Gilbert stands, giving my shoulder a squeeze, "Well, it's getting late. I think I've bothered the Vice Captain enough for one night. My offer stands though. Count on us, got it?"

"What time is it?" Nana asks.

"It is currently half past ten at night," Ciel says as she stands to her feet as well, "We should let Cedrick go for tonight."

"Wow, that's way later than I thought! We better get going!" Nana springs to her feet and smiles at me, "If you need anything from me, don't be shy. Just say the word and I'll be there, ok?"

I still feel quite down, but I also feel a little better now that I've vented a little bit. "Thank you. And sorry about earlier. I have to get my game back."

"Then let us make it a group effort. We shall meet near the main Terminals at ten-thirty to discuss a mission."

"Hm? You sound like you already have something in mind, Ciel." Gilbert says.

"Yes, but only if Cedrick wants to go. It is not a hard mission, but…"

"But what?" I ask, though Ciel's tone gives me a hint.

Ciel seems to be considering something. "It is another Borg Calmann. It has been lurking about the Abandoned Carrier. I just think it would be a worthy catharsis for all of us."

"Sounds easy. What's so hard about a single Borg Calmann?" Nana chirps.

"Well, this time there is reports of a Yan Zhi with it. If that psion starts calling for Zhou Wang backup, it will be a difficult battle. We may even need to split up and fight the Aragami in pairs. Do you still feel up to it, Cedrick?"

I took a deep breath, still shaking a little from my earlier meltdown. A Borg Calmann and a Yan Zhi… that's not going to be easy. The last couple of times I faced a Borg Calmann nearly ended in disaster. And that's not even considering the Yan Zhi. Ciel's right: it's going to be tough, but it'll be a worthy target to get us all back on our feet. I've made my decision.

"Yeah," I finally manage, "I'm in."

"Very well," Ciel seems pleased at my reply and nods approvingly, "Then let us meet in the Lobby at 8:00 AM sharp. We have a score to settle."

The next day…

I sit on a bench in the lower floor of the Lobby, awaiting the arrival of my team. Its 7:45 in the morning, so I expect my team will arrive in about fifteen minutes or so. My chest still hurts a little sometimes, but I feel much better than yesterday. In fact, I almost feel normal again. As for the Aragami, I made sure to check NORN while I waited. Lucky for me, both Aragami are sensitive to Blaze and crushing attacks. I made sure to arrive early so I could prepare the proper bullets. I also made certain to change to a Blaze-type Boost Hammer. I am ready to take these Aragami on and come out on top.

"Good morning, Cedrick." I notice Ciel approach, and she smiles at me. She takes a seat next to me on the bench, "You're early."

I nod at her in greeting. "Good morning, Ciel."

Ciel's smile changes to concern, "I hate to ask such a thing of our Vice Captain, but do you feel up to this? Borg Calmanns seem to have been hard for you lately."

"Well, I have to face it sometime or I won't get over my bad luck," I reassure Ciel, "Besides, I made sure to be extra prepared. I brought crush-type bullets, and I have a Blaze attribute Boost Hammer armed. I'm ready for them."

"Ah, I see," Ciel's smile returns, this time more enthusiastically, "I am glad that you seem confident today. I spoke to Nana and Gilbert just a minute ago. They said they had something to take care of, but that they should be arriving soon."

"Something to take care of, huh? Well, let's not rush. I'd rather be late and ready than early and forget something important." I make small talk with Ciel for a while. It feels good to chat about everything and nothing, just like old times.

Like old times… it actually wasn't that long ago. Still, that part of my life feels distant and all too fresh at once. I let myself get absorbed in our conversation. I can process my feelings later. I have an upcoming mission to focus on, and I have to concentrate if I want to come out of this one alive.

Sure enough, after about ten minutes, Nana and Gilbert appear from the elevator. Nana seems particularly excited. She practically dances out of the elevator and towards Ciel and me with her hands behind her back.

"Oh Ceeedriiiiick!" she sings excitedly, "Guess what I've got!"

"I have no idea," I answer honestly, "What is it?"

She giggles. "It's a surprise! Close your eyes and hold out your hands." Nana's grin grows expectant as she leans over at me. I oblige, holding my hands out and closing my eyes. Knowing Nana, it's an oden sandwich. I feel something hard and oddly heavy land in my hands. I open my eyes to find a pair of Poison Traps in my hands.

"Ta da~!" Nana sings happily, "Look what I made!"

"They're… kinda heavy." I notice a strange smell coming from them just now. "And what's that smell?"

Nana can barely contain herself and begins bouncing up and down excitedly. "I had the bestest idea ever this morning! So, oden sandwiches are awesome, right?" I nod, unsure where she is going with this. "So, I thought, what if I made traps that smell like oden? That'd so drive the Aragami nuts! I made these just now. You get some of the first ones, Cedrick!"

I can't hold back a chuckle. My guess was close. "Is this what you two were up to?"

"Nana begged me to help her do it. I convinced her to add it to a poison trap, just in case," Gilbert says as Nana hands Ciel another pair of oden-infused traps.

I check the time. It is now 8:00 AM, so I pocket the traps and get up. I have my doubts as to whether or not Aragami will find oden appealing, but I approve of the enthusiasm all the same. "Thanks, Nana. I guess we'll see if they fall for it soon. Let's get going."

Later…

The chopper ride is uneventful, and we reach the dropoff point without any difficulty. As we disembark, I see Ciel immediately reference her radar and stare blankly into the distance for several moments. I recognize what she's doing: it's her Blood Power at work.

"The Aragami are spread out for now, but they're too close to avoid attracting the other's attention. I recommend that we engage each separately," Ciel says.

I pause and think for a bit. "Since Yan Zhi can summon other Aragami, I think we should focus on defeating it first. We should pair up."

"A sound plan. I recommend that Gilbert and Cedrick attack the Borg Calmann. Nana and I shall distract the psion until the Borg Calmann falls." Ciel quickly adds, "Um, that is if you approve, Cedrick."

I nod in satisfaction. "Sounds good, Ciel. Alright, then does everyone have a Blaze or Divine loadout?"

"Not really," Nana admits.

"Are you kidding me?" Gilbert scolds, "You spent all that time on those traps and you didn't make time to bring decent bullets?!"

"Hey, don't get mad. I suck at guns anyway. I got -this!-" she hefts her God Arc, "That's all I'll need!"

I shake my head and rethink my plan a bit. We'll need to cover each other's weaknesses if we are to win. "Okay, change of plans. Nana, you and Gil go kill the Borg Calmann. Ciel, you and me will keep the Yan Zhi busy until Gil and Nana take down the Borg. Sound good?" I get approvals from all three of my friends. "All right, then let's make this happen! Move out!"

My team and I run forward through points A and B. At point B we found two Zygotes, which we dispatched with minimal effort. But when we came to point C, we noticed a problem. The Yan Zhi was in a corner, munching on a panel of metal. There was no sign of the Borg Calmann anywhere.

"Strange…" Ciel says quietly as she scouts around, "I don't see the Borg anywhere. I was certain that it was at point D…"

The Yan Zhi notices us just then. The Aragami drops the panel and beckons at us, looking like a temptress as it does so. I switch to a Blaze mortar as the psion screams and dives our way. Any further plans we are going to discuss will have to wait.

Nana jumps straight into the fray with a well-timed hammer strike to the Yan Zhi's legs. I follow up with shots to its head and wings. Gilbert and Ciel take positions for ranged shots, so I switch back to melee to assist Nana. The Yan Zhi glares and fires orbs at us as it tries to back away. I run around its back side and cut it off with a boosted slam. This brings the Aragami to its knees.  
"Now's our chance! Pile on before it uses its bias field!" I call as I jump and land another strike to its head. Nana and I focus on its vulnerable head while Ciel and Gilbert continue to shoot at its legs. We manage to break its lower legs with our assault, but we also succeed in activating the Aragami. It gets up with surprising speed and back-steps with a wing flap. I am unable to deploy my shield in time, and I flinch at the blow.

Big mistake. The psion takes the opening to shriek and point at me. At that moment, I see swarms of black mist converge and form into five Zhou Wang slaves. I also notice a purple bias field surrounding my body. I've been marked! I try to back away from the Yan Zhi, but I'm surrounded by the green-feathered foes. I am so distracted by the Zhou Wangs that I don't see the psion take aim at me. Yan Zhi decides to punish us with another dive-bomb, which knocks me onto my back.

"Cedrick!" I hear Gilbert shout, "He's been targeted!"

I spring to my feet and barely miss the pounce of a Zhou Wang, "Somebody get that psion!"

"Understood," Ciel acknowledges, "Let us break that bias field! Focus on the Yan Zhi!"

I have no time to see what else my teammates are doing, because the Zhou Wang are swarming me again. Luckily for me, they are still Ogertails at heart, so I treat them like such. I charge my Hammer, then let loose. This blow is enough to knock over two of the Zhou Wang, and I promptly zero in on one. It is defeated easily, and vanishes into a cloud of smoke instantly. The second downed Zhou Wang is killed with equal ease. The remaining three Zhou Wangs fan out and try to surround me again. With only three remaining, the attempt is pathetic at best. I back up and launch another volley of attacks. I manage to kill all three with no problem.

Now that I'm free of those annoying Zhou Wang, I rejoin the fight against the psion. I notice that its head is unbound now. Perfect. I fall back and switch to Gun form. Yan Zhi spots me and shoots me a nasty look. My response is to fire more Blaze mortars at its face. It screams and fires a barrage of orbs at me from its wings. I try to evade, but I'm not as successful this time. I'm hit by three of the orbs and sent flying a few meters. I manage to catch myself with a roll, but it still hurts. Yan Zhi, meanwhile, tries to glide at me again.

"I don't think so!" Gilbert rams into Yan Zhi's back with a Charge Glide, causing the Aragami to stumble and fall right over mid-jump. I take the opening and get to my feet. That hurts, but I've survived worse. I've now managed to shake the bias field.

"I'm detecting a large Aragami headed your way!" I hear Fran warn us, "Estimated arrival time five minutes. Caution advised."

I glare angrily at my foe. If that Aragami joins the fight, things will definitely get dicey. I check my radar briefly and note that the arrival zone is in point D. If we can't kill Yan Zhi before it arrives, the Aragaimi will certainly notice the fight. It's probably just that Borg Calmann, but I hope it isn't a Kongou or a Yaksha.

I need to step up the assault. Ciel and Gilbert have returned to melee forms, so I fall back and take up Gun form again. As I aim for the Yan Zhi, I notice a gleam from across the gap. It's an all too familiar scorpion, Borg Calmann. But what's it doing here so soon? I decide to head it off before it notices the others.

"I'll distract that Borg! Cover me!" I order over my back as I rush the incoming Aragami.

"I'm on my way!" I hear Gilbert call, "You two take care of that Yan Zhi!"

"Wait!" I hear Nana protest, but I have no time to see why she's shouting. The Borg Calmann has spotted me and bares its sword at me. I respond with a hammer blow to its shield. It counters with a tail-spin that catches my side. It's a glancing blow, but still enough to make me grunt in pain. The Borg tries to stab me while I'm down, but I roll aside just in time. To my surprise, the Borg Calmann manages to get its stinger caught in the ground. It tries to free itself, and the angry Aragami clicks its shield together and scuttles its limbs in a frenzy.

I am about to take the chance to take some Recovery Pills when I hear a shriek from behind me. I turn over my back just in time to see a blur of green and gold feathers slam into me. The Yan Zhi's tackle is brutal, and I hit the floor hard. I grit my teeth and struggle to my feet. The Aragami's response is to kick me back down. Before I can return to my feet, it steps on me. It is not gentle about this, and I feel its weight intensifying on my chest. I try to strike, but my arms are pinned. I try to reach for a Flash Grenade, but I can't reach my pockets. I cannot move. The Yan Zhi looms over me like a domineering monarch and I can swear it has a smirk on its face. I give it my most feral glare in response. Am I seriously about to be crushed by this femme fatale wannabe?

A series of shots ring out, and the Yan Zhi screams. It stumbles to its knees again, and I escape its pin. Now I'm really mad. I let loose one more charged shot. The psion keens and falls at last. I devour its core before the damn thing can recover and turn my attention and fury to the Borg Calmann.

The others have rejoined me, and they're attacking the scorpion from all sides. I take ranged position again and lob my most powerful bombs at it. With our continued assault, the Borg Calmann is next to fall. I quickly remove the core and check on my friends.

"Is everyone okay?" I ask as I look from face to face.

"I've taken a few hits, but nothing serious," Ciel says, "You look rather worse for wear, Cedrick. Are -you- alright?"

I check myself over. I'm a little bruised up and my chest hurts a bit, but I've been far worse off. "I'm fine."

Nana begins bouncing as she speaks, "Me too. Ooh, ooh! Did you see my oden trap?! It worked so good! Haha, you should've seen that Yan Zhi's reaction!"

"I don't know. Didn't it head right for Cedrick after that?" Gilbert says.

Nana seems slightly deflated, "Well yeah, there's that. It still needs a tweak or two."

I am tired, so I say, "Let's head for the pickup. I don't know about you guys, but I'm exhausted."


	48. Chapter 48 - Surprises

Chapter 48

DISCLAIMER: I DO NOT OWN THE GOD EATER FRANCHISE HOWEVER I DO OWN MY OC.

Name: Cedrick Esparza

Gender: Male

Hairstyle: Style 7 (Dark Brown)

God Arc: Burning Maiden (Short Blade), Apega Blaze (Sniper Rifle), Kurogane Tower (Shield)

Blood Art: Fatal Riser III

The rest of the day passed by without much happening. Upon arrival back at Friar, the four of us hung around the lobby for a while and talked. There wasn't much for me to discuss but just being near my friends is enough for me. They didn't have to confront me, but they did. They knew it would only be a matter of time before I got killed or I got somebody else killed and, after Romeo's death, nobody wants to see another member leave the unit in such a way. When Julius returns, we'll try to continue on like before. The only difference being that we are now a man down. He may no longer be alive, but we will remember him for all of our lives. I smile as I think of the good times we've all shared with Romeo. I don't think it's possible to forget him; not that I'd want to. With his death, I have a bigger role. I now know what it is like to lose somebody on the battlefield. I've learned the lesson that not even the Blood Unit is invincible. No, we are just like every other God Eater. One wrong move could kill us. That's why I need to make sure to keep a closer eye on my team. I'm sure they all feel the same way.

Not too long after we had a chat, we all split up to do whatever we wished. I decided to see how progress with the Blood Bullets was coming along. Surprisingly, Ciel wasn't working on the Blood Bullets. She wasn't even training. I guess that she must do more than that. Come to mention it, what are Ciel's other hobbies? We've talked about work a lot as well as Blood Bullets, but never about what she does when she isn't working. I know that Nana likes to cook and that Gilbert likes to fiddle with his God Arc to try and improve it, but what else does Ciel do other than trying to make Blood Bullets? I'll have to find her so that I can ask.

Thus, I set out to find Ciel. The first place I decide to visit is her room. Quite frankly, I already know that she won't be there. I know that she doesn't really spend a lot of time in her room. Like I said, she's usually working. A God Eater doesn't usually work from inside their room. The only thing they could do is to mess around with their terminal. Ciel mustn't have many things in her room if she is hardly in it. After all, I keep a few things in my room relating to hobbies but I haven't really had a chance to use them yet. I wonder if Ciel is the same. Regardless, I knock on the door a few times and, as expected, receive no response.

"Ciel? Are you in there?" I voice my thoughts but, again, don't receive a response. With Ciel not being in her room, I decide to head elsewhere to find her.

Not finding Ciel in the lobby, I head up the lift to the Friar's garden. I had searched the whole of the lower floor before deciding to go up to another floor. Come to think of it, I should have searched for her in the garden before. I've met her in here a few times before, thus, it doesn't surprise me when I see her leaning against the tree near Romeo's grave. What does surprise me though, is the book in her hand and the location she has decided to read in. As I approach her, I get a better look at the book in her hand. My first impressions were wrong. It is not a book in her hands. Instead, it is a play with which I am pretty familiar with, 'An Inspector Calls'. Judging by how it look like there is an equal amount of pages either side of the one she is on, I'd say she was about half way through it.

"I discovered, not that night but two nights later, when we met again - not accidentally this time, of course" I hear her speak the words that I assume are on the page in a deeper voice than usual. It sounds as though she changes the tone of her voice for each character in the play.

"Hi, Ciel." I speak before coming to a stop about half a metre in front of her. I notice a slight jerk in her arm that looked to be about to turn a page.

"Cedrick?" She was definitely surprised by my presence. I merely smile at her expression before I speak up, keeping the smile on my face as I did so.

"You like to read?" I may have just stumbled upon one of Ciel's interests. She smiles back at me as she gets over her initial surprise.

"Yes, I've often found myself enjoying to read. I've a few books in my room-"

"Books? Or plays?" I ask amused at my own humour.

"I take it that you know what I'm reading then." She tilts her head to one side as if to say 'I've been caught' with a larger smile on her face than before. "I do like to read plays more than actual books. I have more of them in my room than books."

"You must have an ancient taste. The first performance was in 1945." I have read this play before and found it to be very good. "Is this your copy?" I ask her, genuinely intrigued. I read this back whilst I was staying with my Uncle at Fenrir HQ, he has quite the number of books and plays. He is probably what contributed to my interest in reading.

"Yes, I've had it for quite some time."

" I didn't know that reading was one of your hobbies. How did it become that?" The very thing that I had set out to find Ciel to do is happening. I am learning more about her and what her interests are when she isn't working. However, I notice that a more gloomy look replaces the smile on her face.

"Back at Magnolia Compass, I would often divulge into the orphanage's literary section. I would read when I wasn't training in martial arts and the likes." Her voice mirrors her expression. I don't like it.

"Why are you reading here?" I had to change the subject. I didn't want her to continue in her depressed, reflective state. To answer my question, she looks to the side and I follow her gaze. She looks to Romeo's grave.

"You were reading to Romeo." It wasn't a question. I didn't need her to confirm that she was. It was clear. "Sorry to interrupt." I bow slightly between the two of them. I guess that would explain why she was reading out loud.

"Oh, don't worry about it." Ciel quickly speaks up in a dismissive tone.

"You don't mind if I stay and listen, do you?" I ask to her surprise but once she gives me a smile I know her answer.

I leaned against the tree as well as she continued reading aloud. She was clearly nervous about using different voices to voice the characters but with a little encouragement, she continued using them. At the end of the play, I applauded her for her enthusiasm towards reading. During my claps however, I could hear the claps of another person. At first, I thought it was Romeo, but after realising that that is not possible, I notice the only member of Blood not to stay on Friar walking towards us, having gotten back from Fenrir Headquarters. Ciel and I both stand up straight.

"Captain Julius. How was your trip?" She speaks in her working tone.

"It wasn't too bad. There were a few hiccups here and there but I'll tell you all of that later. Right now, could you give the Vice Captain and I some time to speak?" Julius speaks and Ciel leaves the garden. As she does so though, I find myself beginning to worry again. I had forgotten all about how Julius wanted to speak with me once he had returned.

"You wanted to speak with me?" I ask him but can hear the worry in my voice. Surely he must have heard it too.

"Don't worry, Cedrick. There's nothing to worry about. Would you mind accompanying me on a mission?" Julius asks, to my surprise. Of course, I accept his offer despite still feeling the effects of the earlier mission against a Yan Zhi and Borg Camlann. I can only hope that we will be against easier opponents.

I mustn't have hoped hard enough. As we stand on the battlefield and stare at the beast, the many eyes of a mountainous creature stares back at us.


	49. Chapter 49 - A change of leadership 1

Chapter 49

DISCLAIMER: I DO NOT OWN THE GOD EATER FRANCHISE HOWEVER I DO OWN MY OC.

Name: Cedrick Esparza

Gender: Male

Hairstyle: Style 7 (Dark Brown)

God Arc: Burning Maiden (Short Blade), Apega Blaze (Sniper Rifle), Kurogane Tower (Shield)

Blood Art: Fatal Riser III

After fighting against a Yan Zhi and Borg Camlann, I could only hope that the Aragami that Julius and I will face was a lot smaller, but hoping was a fruitless endeavour. Especially when we stand not too far away from a truly mountainous beast with arms that could crush a human and numerous eyes that could locate a meal from miles away. The Aragami in front of us is the largest I have seen.

"Gazing upon such a monster has driven even the most powerful and determined God Eater to fear what's to come in humanity's future." I turn to Julius as he speaks, carefully observing the creature that could destroy a house with one footstep. "Will Aragami grow to be larger than this? That question and many more would linger in their minds. It will ultimately become their downfall." I can't say that I felt the same way about this monster. I wasn't thinking that far into the future. At the minute, I was wondering how the hell he expected the two of us to conquer the mountain in front of us. I continue to listen though, my mouth slightly agape at how calm he is despite our enemy's size. "Not many have faced this monster and survived. However," He looks at me with his usual stern expression, taking his attention away from the beast free-roaming the plains. "those who have died when facing this monster lacked the motivation to conquer it. Those whom have survived were those with the passion and drive to protect those that they care about." He smiles slightly before extending his hand out. "Cedrick, please do me the honour of fighting together one last time."

This very situation was alarming. His smile, whilst warm, did not mirror the words he speaks. His words sound like those that he spoke ill of only one sentence beforehand. Sounded like the words of a warrior without motivation. Surely he wasn't going to give up, right?

"Julius, what do you mean by one last time?" Did Julius think that this monster would take his life? Did he bring me out here to witness his final stand against humanity's largest enemy? Surely not. Yet, as the seconds pass and he does not answer, his hand remains extended. Mine reaches out to his, takes a firm grasp and shakes it. "You aren't going to die today, Julius." I speak sternly to 've already lost Romeo, we don't need another funeral. Wait... Is that what this is about? Julius, are you grieving Romeo's death by yourself? We break the handshake and just before we set off, I speak up.

"Julius, if this is about Romeo-"

"This has nothing to do with Romeo, Vice Captain." He interrupts me but the formal term of address for me gives me reason to believe that he is lying. Or at least, not telling the whole truth. Nevertheless, I'll drop this subject for now. Once we get back to Friar, and I intend to drag him back even if he has lost his will to live, I will explain these events to the others and we can help Julius like we helped each other. After all, he is the Captain.

"How do you plan on killing it?" I ask with a heavy sigh, reluctantly dropping the topic of conversation.

"Well, I want you to lead the charge. I'll back you up and swap with you if things take a turn for the worst." He jumps down the ledge as soon as he finishes his explanation. I follow after him.

After jumping from the ledge, we head towards the monster. Julius opts to stand further back as he provides me with back up. First of all though, I want to make sure where to hit.

"Does it have any weaknesses?" I ask Julius, waiting for him to prepare a suitable long-range stance.

"Try to aim for its feet, arms and shoulders. I've found that hitting those parts of the Ouroboros cause the most damage." With his answer, I prepare myself for the largest battle I have faced in my life.

Forty minutes later, the beast drops to the ground; shaking it as the monster's body weight collides with the hard surface. Wiping the sweat from my head, I walk over to Julius whom had since moved closer to the ocean.

"Mission complete." I speak between pants of breath. Defeating the beast almost single-handedly was very exhausting. Especially after already being tired from the earlier battle.

"Vice Captain." He speaks in a friendlier tone than usual. "Do you recall the day you joined us in the Blood Unit?" I don't understand why he would ask this question. Of course I remember.

"Of course, sir."

"Good. It seems a long time ago." He looks pleased with my answer. I agree with his response. It does seem like a long time ago. We've fought so many opponents, made new friends and lost one, too. "When the unit was created, it was just me. I trained constantly under Dr. Rachel's watch." He gets a far away look in his eye as he reminisces. "It was that way for years before Romeo. It was a difficult adjustment. He spoke... incessantly." Does this mean he was thinking about Romeo earlier? It sounds as though he is still having trouble with his death. "Eventually it stopped bothering me. I rather liked hearing his voice ring across Friar. I miss it." Before we have a chance to delve on the topic, Julius continues; changing the subject slightly. "Then you and Nana joined us. I was truly grateful to have Romeo then, he was... a bridge between you two and myself. Tell me, what did you think of him?" He asks me.

"He was dependable. You could always trust him to have your back. You could delegate tasks to him and he would complete them without much trouble. Blood felt that when he ran away..." I began to trail off. I hate to admit it but if Romeo had never ran away, he would never have grown attached to the couple that he ultimately saved at the cost of his life.

"Yes, he was always the life of the team. He was, in many ways, our soul." Julius smiles as he speaks. I can't help but reciprocate the reflecting smile. I agree with his words. Romeo was certainly the life of the group. "Finally, Gil and Ciel joined our ranks. You all overcame so much together. One by one, you woke the power in your veins. It would never have happened without you. I... I wanted to make sure you knew that. Thank you." This was something I didn't expect. Praise from Julius was rare but I didn't do much to be praised for. I just helped people. "You have a way with people. A gift. Perhaps that warmth is the source of your Blood Power as well. I think... I think you will all be fine without me." He's beginning to get suicidal again. Maybe he is suffering from something like depression.

"Julius, we should go to the Infirmary once we get back." I desperately hope that they have some anti-depressants

"Please, give this to the others." He takes something out of his pocket. It looks like a device that I've seen Ciel use a few times before a video plays on the terminal. A video message?

"Julius, there are ways to-" He holds a hand up to silence me. He seemed intent on suicide.

"I'm leaving Blood." He speaks with his usual stern voice and my eyes widen. Whether out of fear or surprise, I have no idea. "I pass command to you. Lead the unit as you always have and-"

"That's bullshit, Julius!" My anger gets the better of me. "Why would you leave Blood?! No one will accept that you have. Not even me." Leaving Blood may be less serious than suicide but still, "Julius, we're all in pain after Romeo's death. Nana, Gilbert, Ciel, we've all comforted each other in your absence. Now that you're back, we can give you the comfort that you need." With every sentence, I begin to grow calmer. Seeing Julius not even flinch at my anger is relaxing and eases me. He anticipated that I would be angry. How could I not be?

"It's not that. I have taken a place with Dr. Rachel, working to improve the God Arc Soldiers. If they can be perfected, and dominate in battle, then we'll never have to lose anyone again." He has taken Romeo's death the hardest. He's quitting Blood?! I keep my focus on him as he speaks. He speaks as though he had rehearsed his lines. For how long has he been planning to quit? "I'll find a way. I swear that. With a heavy sigh, I speak up,

"They're not going to like this."  
"I trust that you can explain it to them. I'll send an email to them with the same information."

"I think they deserve a spoken explanation from you. Writing to them... just leaves no room for instant replies. If you don't speak to them, they'll try to find a way to speak with you." I explain to him.

"We'll cross that bridge when we come to it."


	50. (Short) Chapter 50 - Breaking the news

Chapter 50

DISCLAIMER: I DO NOT OWN THE GOD EATER FRANCHISE HOWEVER I DO OWN MY OC.

Name: Cedrick Esparza

Gender: Male

Hairstyle: Style 7 (Dark Brown)

God Arc: Burning Maiden (Short Blade), Apega Blaze (Sniper Rifle), Kurogane Tower (Shield)

Blood Art: Fatal Riser III

"Blood, I have something important to say."

"What the hell is this?!" Gilbert shouts his distaste in the situation. As soon as Julius and I had returned to Friar, he set about secluding himself but reminded me to show the other members the video he had given me. I gave them all an email to tell them to meet in my room. As each member saw it, they came to my room. Nana was the first, followed then by Ciel. About 30 minutes later, Gilbert joined the party. I ignored their questions and put on the video, inserting it into the terminal where it plays.

"Just keep watching." I tell him in a sad voice. I already know what the video entails; Julius told me in person.

"Why do you sound sad?" I'm sure that the others had picked up on my voice but Gilbert is the one who asks me. I give him the same response.

"... I've had a long time to think about this." Julius speaks with a sigh but keeps his stern expression and voice. "I've decided to leave Blood."

"WHAT?!" The collective sound of disbelief fills my room. Gilbert was right to have his suspicions about this video, and now he knows why. Nana looks bewildered and almost seems to be on the verge of tears. Ciel looks as though an Aragami has successfully delivered a surprise attack. Her eyes wide and her mouth slightly agape.

"This is bullshit!" Gilbert shouts in anger before leaving the room in a temper, most likely to confront Julius himself. I told Julius to expect this. What surprises me though is that Nana and Ciel stay in my room, their eyes glued to the screen. I had expected Nana to have a similar response to Gilbert and want to talk to Julius. As for Ciel, I thought that she would want to be alone for a while. I guess they're not finished with the video.

"I've decided to work alongside Dr. Rachel in perfecting the God Arc Soldiers. When they are perfected, we won't ever need to risk a person's life against the Aragami threat."

"Oh, Julius..." The emotional Nana comments; the sadness taking over her voice as she hugs her knees to her chest. Ciel remains silent but fidgets with her fingers.

"By the time you have watched this video, I will have already told Cedrick my intentions. You will now operate under his command."

"You're the Captain now?" Ciel speaks up for the first time since her exclamation. I merely nod my head towards her. She knows what this means. Whether she is happy with this or not, I cannot tell.

"So I'm the new Vice Captain?" Another nod confirms her new role.

"I promise you all this, I will do everything in my power to make sure that the God Arc Soldier project is perfected. We won't lose anybody else to the Aragami menace." With Julius' words, the video ends.

For the rest of the day, the two girls spent some time in my room. I don't think that they really wanted to, just that they were so hung up on their emotions that their legs wouldn't let them move. Gilbert had come back to my room and said that Julius wouldn't speak to him. Gilbert wasn't even allowed to enter Dr. Rachel's laboratory. I had played the rest of the video for him.

"So what now?" He asks, still clearly angry about the whole situation. Nana and Ciel raise their heads towards me as they wait for an answer.

"Until we hear any further news. We'll carry on like we were while Julius was at Friar."


	51. Chapter 51 - Turmoil

Chapter 51

DISCLAIMER: I DO NOT OWN THE GOD EATER FRANCHISE HOWEVER I DO OWN MY OC.

Name: Cedrick Esparza

Gender: Male

Hairstyle: Style 7 (Dark Brown)

God Arc: Burning Maiden (Short Blade), Apega Blaze (Sniper Rifle), Kurogane Tower (Shield)

Blood Art: Fatal Riser III

"As I'm sure you've all heard, Julius Visconti has resigned his commission as Captain of Blood." Director Grem speaks the information that we have had a night to digest. The Blood Unit was called into his office at 8:00 in the morning. We never had the chance for breakfast before we were ordered to arrive. "He transferred to R&D on Friar. He'll be working with Dr. Rachel to mass produce God Arc Soldiers." He takes a puff of his cigar before moving onto information that we are yet to receive. "As of now, Friar will focus all effort on the God Arc Soldiers. God Eater operations are henceforth suspended."

"Suspended?" Ciel repeats the word that I'm sure was swimming in all of Blood's heads. Does this mean that we're out of a job?

"All of Friar's former God Eaters have been transferred. You will now be serving the Far East Branch." I didn't expect Director Grem to say that. It will definitely be a change to serve under the Far East, but at least we weren't sent to a branch that we do not know anything of. "These are your orders until further notice." The director looks up from his clipboard and sets his sights on me. "I understand you're to be the captain's replacement. Haha! You'll be no end of trouble." It's clear that he still remembers the earlier incident with me saving Ciel at the expense of a God Arc Soldier. I'm sure she remembers that as well but honestly, I had forgotten all about it until his snide remark. Nevertheless, I do not express my disgust. "That is all. Out of my sight." I would like nothing more than to leave. Unfortunately, my team had other ideas.

"Forget that! Isn't the capt- Isn't Julius coming with us?" Nana speaks up making it clear that she isn't going to leave without an answer. It is clear to see that she doesn't want to accept that Julius is no longer a part of Blood.

"What did I just say?" The director replies with a voice that suggests of moronic he thinks Nana is, "No. His new directive is to work R&D on the God Arc soldiers."

"But Dr. Rachel would never be okay with that. Julius is the team leader." Although I doubt she means to, but Nana's words are actually having quite the effect on me. With her inability to move on, she won't accept me as the replacement captain. I must admit that I am beginning to feel a bit cold; a bit sad.

"She approved of the transfer, of course. She expects great things of you all in the Far East." He sounds less like he is patronising her now but still has an air to him that I don't like. "If you want to know why your leader abandoned you, go ask him yourself. You know where to find him." It appears that what I thought is wrong, as proven by Grem's words.

"What?! You little-" Hearing Gilbert's anger cut short draws my attention to him and I see Ciel with her arm outstretched in front of Gilbert.

"Understood, sir. We will abide by these new orders. Thank you for your time." She speaks, taking charge of the situation better than I could have. Do I really have what it takes to be the Captain of Blood? Surely Ciel is better suited for the role. She has so much training whereas I have none. She's trained for combat and can strategise accordingly. I can't.

"Hmph! Yes... Dismissed." With the director's words, we leave his office and head to our rooms, packing up everything we will need in order to be sent to the Far East.

"In the end, Julius didn't even say goodbye." The sorrowful voice of Nana fills the room. It's only been an hour since we arrived at the Far East but our pain could be felt just be looking at our members. In less than one week, we've lost two members of Blood. One through death and the other didn't even feel the need to say goodbye, as Nana said. I can understand why he left, but surely he didn't need to cut connections with us, right?

"Ah, you're back." We hear Dir. Sakaki's voice and look towards the man walking up to us; his face solemn. "I'm terribly sorry about Romeo. You have my condolences. So, where do we go from here? As per the conference on Friar, Blood will become part of the Far East Branch. In short, things are back to the way they were before. I welcome you anew as members of the Far East." He speaks before informing us that he has other things to take care of and leaves.

"Well, we can't stay around and sulk. I'm going to go and do something. Maybe you all should do something to take your mind off of everything." I tell them before heading for the lounge. I knew full well what I was going to do.

Unfortunately, it appears I've been followed.

"Hello?! Can you see us? We're right here!" Nana speaks cheerily as soon as Julius' face appears on the screen. I had checked my emails before leaving Friar and saw that I had one from Julius. He knew full well that we would try to contact him so he gave me a link to follow. I attempted to communicate with him alone, but the video had appeared on the large screen, thus the rest of Blood was able to see it. However, I'm surprised by how happy Nana seems. Just moments ago, we were all wallowing in sadness. Now though, just seeing Julius seems to have cheered her up.

"I'm currently occupied. If you have something to say, keep it short." Julius speaks to us, although I assume that he knows why the others have gotten in contact with him. I'll see if I can do that when I can guarantee I'm alone.

"Oh, it'll be short all right, Julius." Gilbert almost marches closer to the screen with anger lacing his voice. "Why the hell'd you run away from Blood Unit?"

"People are fragile, Gil. Surprisingly so." He speaks matter of factly as if he had rehearsed his line. I wonder if he has. He's had a lot of time to think about what he would say when the matter was addressed. Or he is dead set on his motive. "God Arc Soldiers can be mass produced and easily repaired. They should be on the front lines."

"So what? You want to be king of the tin soldiers?" Gilbert sounds less angry now and I can't help but smile at his question. Although my smile disappears upon hearing Julius.

"The results will speak for themselves. There is no place for lofty words on the battlefield." After a short silence, Julius speaks again. "I'm sorry. Disconnecting." With that, the screen turns black, meaning I will have to contact Julius later.

Later never came though. Just before retiring for the night, I had decided to contact Julius again using that link he sent me in the email. Unfortunately, to my dismay, it was a one-use only link, meaning that I won't get to speak to Julius for a long time. Possibly even for the rest of my life. It's a shame really. I need some advice.


	52. Chapter 52

Chapter 52

DISCLAIMER: I DO NOT OWN THE GOD EATER FRANCHISE HOWEVER I DO OWN MY OC.

Name: Cedrick Esparza

Gender: Male

Hairstyle: Style 7 (Dark Brown)

God Arc: Burning Maiden (Short Blade), Apega Blaze (Sniper Rifle), Kurogane Tower (Shield)

Blood Art: Fatal Riser III

The day began with the blinding sunlight piercing through my bedroom windows and forcing me to arise from my slumber. Instead of immediately getting on with the usual morning routine, I opted to stay in bed; soaking in the warmth of the sun like a cold blooded creature. After a few minutes of the tantalising warmth, I knew that I would need to get up and start my God Eater duties. Reluctantly, I carry out my morning routine.

Walking into the lower areas of the Den, I notice that it is very crowded. Not only are the members of my unit present, but it seems that they are being crowded by people.

"Really?" The sound of an intrigued female vibrated through the air and into my ears.

"Yes, it is possible that the Blood Unit may not be the only people who can use these bullets." Ciel's voice was riddled with curiosity as well. Maybe she thought that Blood Bullets were unique to us. It definitely surprises me to hear that they aren't.

"Can I taste one?" A male voice a bit further away draws my attention. There, I can see that Nana is speaking with somebody that I haven't met yet.

"Mhmm. I've given one to the Captain and he said they taste great." She speaks with a confident nod of her head. Looking in her direction, I see Gilbert speaking with a mechanic but I can't hear what they are saying.

"It's nice to see them getting along." I whisper before moving into the lounge.

The lounge is a lot less packed than it is outside of it. A perfect situation in which I can relax. Taking in a deep breath, I allow myself to enjoy the near-silence of the area. The only sounds being made are Mutsumi's clattering with dishes as she cooks something, the occasional taps of Alisa's fingers as she reads a book on the couch, and the Capybara's squeaks. Speaking of which, I can't remember having any time alone with it. Well, it's time to change that.

"Hi there, Capybara." I can hear the nervousness in my own voice. Why am I nervous though?

"Squeak." It tilts its head in my direction before moving into an almost-standing position. The very thing makes me even more nervous. I suppose that I'm probably being insensitive right now; calling the creature by its species' name, that would be like calling every human a human, but I have no recollection of it even having a name. Truth be told, I had forgotten all about it before hearing its squeaks. I extend my lightly shaking hand towards the animal. It reaches the mammals head and, seeing no sign of rejecting, begin stroking the top of its head and cheek. The softness of its fur allows for my head to easily glide across its head. It nuzzles into my hand, gleefully squeaking as I stroke it before eventually lying on its side; giving me access to its underbelly. Complying with its wishes, I stroke its underbelly as well. I hadn't realised how tranquil and mind numbing this actually was.

"It looks like you're having fun." Alisa's sudden voice brings me out of my tranquillity and makes me jump up.

"Alisa?" I speak in surprise, wasn't she just reading a book moments ago.

"Squeak. Squeak." I hear the begging sounds of the Capybara for me to continue petting it. It pains me to hear the creature like that but Alisa scaring me was unexpected.

"I didn't realise you had a soft side for animals."

"Did you need something?" I dismiss her comment. I wanted to change the subject as quick as possible. Something about the way she said it makes it seem as though she was patronising me. "Weren't you just reading a moment ago?" I add, making it known that I had seen her enacting her hobby.

"I finished that book a while ago. I bet you didn't even notice that I had left the room. You've been here for about an hour." Wait, she left the room? I didn't even hear her move. Was stroking that Capybara that relaxing for me? Maybe I should think about visiting the animal more if it keeps my mind off of things for that long.

"You didn't answer my first question." I remark, hypocritically avoid her previous words.

"Not particularly, I was just making sure that you wouldn't zone out for too long. I know it must be tempting right now given you situation. Congratulations by the way," She smiles and extends her hand. "Captain Esparza." I visibly grimace before shaking her hand.

"Never again, please." I notice her look of concern at my grimace but she doesn't ask about it, thankfully.

"Well, I have work to do. I'll see you later, Captain Cedrick." That's better I suppose. I will need to get used to it. I turn back around to the eager Capybara and continue where we left off.

"Hey man." For the second time today, I am interrupted by someone whilst petting the Capybara. I suppose I've spoiled it for long enough though. Alisa did tell me that I had been tending to it for an hour, I don't know how long it has been since then though. I leave the mammal alone while I speak with the brightly coloured man behind me; Captain of the 1st Unit, Kota. "I've been told to get you." I'm intrigued.

"For what?"

"Somebody wants to see you. I directed them to your room because I thought you would be there."

"Oh, thanks Kota. I'll head there now." Somebody wants to see me? By the sounds of it it isn't someone from this branch. Maybe it's my Uncle. Yeah, that's probably the case.

"No problem." He speaks and I walk by him. "Oh, when you're finished, grab your Arc and head to the roof." I give him a nod of my head before leaving the lounge. It looks like I'll be on a mission with Kota today.

"Cedrick, my boy!" Entering my room, I am immediately engulfed by my Uncle.

"What brings you here?" I ask him in surprise although I reciprocate the hug. The identity of said person almost escaped me though, especially since his hair colour has, once again, changed since the last time I have seen him. It's no longer blue. Instead, a horrible, in my opinion, bright red. Releasing each other from the hug, I wait for him to speak.

"What? Am I not allowed to visit?" He speaks with a heartfelt smile.

"You are, but the last time you visited, you were meeting with the Director." I tell him plainly but with a smile on my face. His smile is infectious. Maybe I've been with him for too long that I don't find his large smile to be weird.

"Oh, I'm hurt. And here I thought I could visit you when I had the time. Now I know never to come here again." He feigns a hurt expression and waves his arms dramatically. It reminds me of Emil.

"Okay, okay." My smile widens, "I'm sorry." He smiles back at me with his joke ending.

"So, Captain Esparza," despite the smile on his face, hearing him say my family name seems unnatural and my smile fades at that. My Uncle is from my mother's side and shares her family name or what became her maiden name. So hearing it sent a weird chill down my spine. If he's calling me by my rank, he must know what's happened and, seeing the change in my expression, he changes his as well.

"I've heard about what happened. Are you okay?" His face takes on a more sympathetic look.

"Yeah. My team mates helped me get over Romeo's death and we're coping with our former Captain's leaving." I inform him of my situation. "But the role of Captain was thrown onto me so suddenly. It will take a while before I am okay with it." I look up to the ceiling as I speak, arms folded as I wonder how long it really will take.

"Unfortunately, you won't have the time to get used to it. People are going to rely on you even more now than they did before."

"Way to pile on the pressure." The dejected sound of my voice doesn't fail to reach him.

"You get a lot of benefits too." His words sparked my interest.

"What kind off benefits?"

"Hahaha, you'll see in the future." He leaves my room with another chortle, probably heading to speak with the Director. Nevertheless, Kota wanted me to head to the roof with my Arc once I was finished with my visitor, I wonder how much time we've spent talking. It couldn't have been too long.

Upon reaching the roof with my God Arc in hand, I wander around in search of Kota. It doesn't take too long for me to find him, but when I do, he appears to be standing on a thin, elevated platform overlooking the residential area of the Outer Ghetto. I proceed up the platform, he notices me as I climb up.

"These ramparts are the Anti-Aragami Wall. It's a shield for the people inside the Den." He speaks to me and I look at the area. Slums are littered everywhere. It must be difficult to protect every single person that lives here and to make sure they have a decent standard of living.

"All that out there is the Outer Ghetto, where people who can't get into the Den live. Mostly not by choice. If any Aragami got past the wall, it could get real bad, real fast for those people. As soon as we find danger, and danger, we eradicate it. Just like we will do soon. Any risk is too much."

"Is the wall enough?" I find myself asking. Surely it can't be, and yet it is still looking strong.

"At first, I wasn't so sure. I mean the Aragami just devour anything they can, right? What's to stop 'em from just charging through?" He speaks solemnly before a smile spreads on his features, "But Fenrir thought of everything, y'know? Um... Oh man, what did they do... um..." A smile works its way onto my face as well. "Oh, right! They infused the wall with Aragami Oracle cells so the little beasties wouldn't want a taste. Not to say the thing is impenetrable. Whenever a new species shows up, they wreak havoc and we have to fix it. Endgame; the wall's really just a last resort. It's on us God Eaters to keep homes and families safe." He finishes before checking his watch, "Ah, looks like it's almost time. Let's head out." With Kota's words, we walk to the helicopter.


	53. Chapter 53 - Realisation

Chapter 53

DISCLAIMER: I DO NOT OWN THE GOD EATER FRANCHISE HOWEVER I DO OWN MY OC.

Name: Cedrick Esparza

Gender: Male

Hairstyle: Style 7 (Dark Brown)

God Arc: Burning Maiden (Short Blade), Apega Blaze (Sniper Rifle), Kurogane Tower (Shield)

Blood Art: Fatal Riser III

"Betcha didn't know that my family comes from the Outer Ghetto." Kota speaks as we walk by the raised platform on our way back from a gruelling mission against three Fallen Kongou. He looks out towards, what I assume to be, his home. "In fact... right over there." He looks towards me to see if I am following where he points to, "I dunno if you can see it, but that's my house! The tiny one." He seems almost as excited as a child showing something they think is cool to their parents. It's actually quite a relief to see that despite being a Captain, he is still very positive. But maybe he just hasn't experienced loss yet. "See the shack two houses down?" He asks me but I think it would be rude for me to point out that I have no idea where his house is, and thus, no idea where the new object of infatuation is either. "When I was a kid, the old man who lived there used to terrify me." He was clearly reflecting on his past and enjoying it.

"It's nice to be home." I comment with a small smile, I wonder if I can go and visit Fenrir HQ at some point instead of my Uncle having to always visit me.

"You think so, too? Who am I kidding, of course you do. I'll take you around my old haunts sometime. You've got a real warmth, you know that? It actually really reminds me of my best friend." He speaks with a wide smile, but it doesn't look as though he is 100% happy. There's something about that smile that suggests a bit of sadness. Am I to assume that his best friend died in some way? Maybe he has experienced loss then. I'm too quick to judge. "You see, all my friends from when I started are on a far-off mission now. It sounds weird, but... they understand how important they are." It seems as though I'm too quick at jumping to conclusions too. He probably just misses his friends; that's why his smile showed a bit of sadness. "But me? I don't think I'll ever leave here." He seems very confident about that. "My family's here, my squad. And one day, when the mission's over, my friends're coming home. I... I want to protect this place. Not just for me, but so they have somewhere to come home to."

"You're passionate about your family and friends, Kota." I comment with my best heartfelt smile, leaning on one of the railings overlooking the Outer Ghetto, "It's nice to hear all of that. That despite what may happen, you always have a purpose: to protect your family and friends. You're not the only one with that purpose though." I stand back from the railing and look at him, a smile that matches mine on his face, "I think everybody feels like they need to protect their people. For me, the feeling only grew when I became a Captain, but even when I was just starting out, I knew that I didn't want to see any of my friends or family die." My smile falls slightly, "I lost my parents when they tried to protect me from an Ogretail. Of course, once they realised I was in danger, they dropped everything they were doing to protect me, that includes not having the time to pick up their God Arcs to drive off the beast. They sacrificed their lives for me." A determined smile replaces my sad one, "I'm not planning on letting anything like that happen to those I care about! My position as a Captain only cements this thought but that's what I've believed in all along. But be warned, Kota, I'm going to be the best Captain ever! I'll protect my flock and all others! Romeo wanted to do the same and gave his life for the cause, but where he left off, I will continue!"

"That's great to here, buddy." Kota speaks with the same wide smile, "I just thought that you'd need a little push to make you realise it. You were looking pretty glum before." His smile only widens as I stare at him dumbfounded. Was I looking glum?

With a newly awakened vigour, I march back into the Den. I'm fairly confident a smile plagues my face, nevertheless I continue forward. There was something I wanted to do, and the only place it could happen is within the training room.

As I walk into the training room, I find the one person that I was hoping to be in there.

"Cedrick?" The surprised voice of Ciel calls out to me, "Why are you here?" It was obvious that she didn't expect me to be here.

"Ciel." I pause, simply for a dramatic effect, maybe I'm more like Kota than I thought, "the two of us are going to create an unstoppable bullet!" I speak with enthusiasm lacing my voice.

"I don't understand. Surely all bullets must be stopped; they need to impact something in order to injure or for their effect to commence." The smile on my face drops at Ciel's use of logic.

"It's a figure of speech, Ciel. Anyway, prepare a blank bullet. We're going to do this all day if we have to.

Time: 18:00

"Is everything set up, Ciel?" I ask her one last time in order to receive the response I am hoping for.

"Everything's up and running." Now is it just me, or is there some excitement in her voice as well?

"Let's test this blank bullet first then!" I shout, being the only one within the actual training room whilst Ciel stands in the room overlooking the training facility. The same room with the equipment for making bullets. We each have a job. I test the bullets and possibly suggest how to better it while Ciel makes that happen. I ready my Arc, now in Gun Form, and unleash three shots at the three targets; one bullet for each one of them. The bullets each come whirring out with a small amount of sound and each hit the targets, causing them to bounce back up.

"We know that they work then. Now let's add something with a bit more power!" I shout up to Ciel, only to hear her reply directly in my ear. In my excitement, I had forgotten all about the earpiece she told me to put on.

"You caused approximately 255 damage to each target. I'll try adding an element into the fray for you."

Time: 18:15

Having walked back up the stairs to the room and equipping the new bullet, I rushed back to the facility.

"Ready the targets!" I shout, only after shouting do I realise that I have the earpiece turned on. "Maybe you should turn down the volume on your earpiece." I add with a nervous smile. I don't want to be the first to suffer Ciel's wrath, especially if it is from something as simple as bullet testing.

"Seeing as how you're God Arc is Blaze type, I want to see how damaging a bullet of a different type will be. We'll use the same bullet only with the Freeze attribute. Are you ready?" She asks me and completely ignores what I said previously. Although, she probably did take my advice. I give her confirmation and we complete the routine again.

"Well that's surprising." I hear Ciel through my earpiece.

"What is?" She keeps me in suspense.

"Try firing again." I do as she asks as soon as she lowers one of the targets. "It's no use. You only inflict 243 damage with this bullet. Despite the fact that you're using the opposite element to your Arc, you produce 12 less damage than before. That could be critical." She thinks to herself for a few moments. "We'll take off the element for now and add another module to the blank bullet you tested before. I wonder if there's a way to work a freeze bullet afterwards..." I begin my walk back up to the training room with a butterfly feeling in my stomach. Was I getting too excited?

Time: 18:43

After almost half an hour, Ciel had created a bullet that could use Freeze bullet but didnt take into account the blank bullet. She said that it is for good reason why she left it off, but I suppose we can try the bullet. As soon as the new bullet has been uploaded into my Arc, I run back to the training facility.

"Ready?" Ciel asks me, excitement lacing her voice as she can't wait to see the results. For both of our sake, I hope this works.

"Lowering the targets in three, two, one, now!" As soon as the targets were lowered, I fire the bullets at them. The bullets themselves look nothing special, but after they've been fired they do look pretty cool. With just one bullet, each looks to have hit the target three times and a few cool, dark lightning bolts shoot out after impact.

"354 Damage!" It was an improvement I guess, but not really what I was after. Ciel seemed to be pretty excited though.

"Only 354?" I repeat.

"Do you not like that?" The excitement drops from her voice and the line drops silent, I guess I'll have to tell her.

"I was looking for something a lot more powerful."

"But if it gets more powerful then we'll only be able to shoot about three bullets before  
having our Oracle Point Meters depleted." She tries to reason.

"Some of us prefer to melee attack though, we can always regain OP quicker when attacking Aragami." I retort and, once again, everything grows quiet.

"I'll see what I can do." She didn't sound mad, but not as excited either. Was I wrong to say what I'd prefer?

Time: 21:45

After another extended period of time, a fatigued Ciel gives me the bullets with the new recipe. It hurts to see that I'm the one who made her so tired. I hope that these bullets are worth it.

"I'll try them out." I tell her before walking out of the room, it looked as though she was struggling to stand. I didn't realise how exhausting creating bullets could be. Then again, I guess she must have been here all day, so its not entirely my fault. She must have been excited before so that she could get some sleep.

As soon as the targets come down, I fire at them.

"754 damage." I hear her through the earpiece. It still wasn't what I was hoping for, but I don't have the nerve to tell her that.

"Why don't you go get some sleep. We can't tell but it is probably pretty late. I'll clean up in here." I tell her and she seems more than willing to accept. As for me though, I'm not done yet!

Time: 22:45

I should have probably taken a look at this sooner. Everything looks like a mess to me! What the hell is a chip? There are so many options for them as well, Pierce, Multi-Hit, Canceller! It's all brain-boggling!

Time: 23:50

Well, after a bit of messing around, I think I have a decent bullet. Let's try it. I switch on the targets and then run down to the training facility. I shoot my bullets and... Why won't it fire? I guess I'll need to run back up the stairs to see why.

"What the hell does this mean? 'Error: Modules 2 and 3... Blah, blah, blah.'" Fuck. It looks like I'll need to play around some more.

Time: 01:05

I'm beginning to get tired now. I'm sick of having to change these modules all of the time. I thought making a bullet would be easier than this! Nevermind, I've a bullet I need to try out now anyway.

I shoot the bullet at the targets, this one actually works unlike some of the other ones, but it doesn't look very damaging.

"*Sigh* back to the drawing board."

Time: 03:15

Right, I'm beginning to make some effective bullets but they're still not what I'm after. I can make effective bullets without elements but when I try to add the elements they don't seem to work. What am I doing wrong?

Time: 05:55

I've found out what was wrong. Apparently, just because there is an option to add multiple elements, it doesn't mean that you should. I should just stick with one or two until I get the hang of it. Nevertheless, I've made a bullet that I actually like. It isn't as powerful as I had hoped, but to inflict 1500 damage in a little over 40 Oracle Points seems worth it. I'll just need to make sure to start every mission with over 120 OP in my meter in order to actually challenge the Aragami.

Anyway, I should head to bed now. I'm struggling to keep my eyes open as I am now anyway. I just hope that there won't be too hard of a mission tomorrow. But if it is, I should be able to use my new bullet anyway. Haha! I can't wait to show everybody.

Time: 08:30

"Can Captain Cedrick Esparza make his way to the Director's Office. I repeat, can Captain Cedrick Esparza make his way to the Director's Office." Hearing Hibari shout my instructions over the intercom was a little unnerving. I hope I'm not about to get scolded for staying in the training area for too long. Nevertheless, I reluctantly I get up from my bed, throw some clothes on, and head for the Director's Office. When I arrive, I'm surprised to see my unit and the former captain standing there.


	54. Chapter 54 - Operation: Lunar Cry part 1

Chapter 54

DISCLAIMER: I DO NOT OWN THE GOD EATER FRANCHISE HOWEVER I DO OWN MY OC.

Name: Cedrick Esparza

Gender: Male

Hairstyle: Style 7 (Dark Brown)

God Arc: Burning Maiden (Short Blade), Apega Blaze (Sniper Rifle), Kurogane Tower (Shield)

Blood Art: Fatal Riser III

Seeing Julius standing there was quite a shock. It wasn't too long ago that he had told us of his intentions to leave work on the God Arc Soldiers, I wonder if he had changed his mind. I hope he has, and I know I'm not the only one that hopes that.

"We will now commence the briefing for Operation: Lunar Cry." Ciel speaks up, being the tactical one behind the missions, it is her job to make sure that we all know what's transpiring. She must have missed me out however, or assumed that I already knew because I have no idea what this mission is all about. Maybe I shouldn't have been working all night on editing my bullets. Oh well, what's done is done.

"A large psion, a Marduk," Marduk? Isn't that the Aragami Romeo died fighting against? I see, we'll finally have a chance to avenge him. I smile inwardly as I think of all the possible ways that Romeo will be put to rest. Which would he prefer? Mauling the beast over and over or tearing it apart limb from limb. Either way is fine with me. "Has gathered a legion of Aragami and garrisoned in a strategic area." Well damn. It looks like it's not going to be as easy as I thought. I should probably expect this though. Nothing is ever as easy as I think. "First, a detachment will flank the enemy and strike, creating an opening for Blood." At least we're not alone then. It makes sense though: we're the only ones that can defeat psions. "After our assault, the detachment will cover all paths of retreat, close in, and eradicate them. The detachment will be composed of" Ciel turns her body to face the former captain, "remotely controlled Arc Soldiers under the command of Captain Julius Visconti." I think I hear a tinge of happiness in Ciel's voice as she announces who's in charge of the detachment squad.

"Julius!" Nana squeals, I guess this must be the first time that there has been an opening to talk otherwise she wouldn't have squealed like that. Nor would Gilbert speak the following line.

"Good to see you back in the action."

"This is no common fight. It will grant peace to Romeo's soul." The way Julius replies gives a strong indication that he isn't over Romeo's death.

"That's right!" Nana chips in enthusiastically.

"We will fight without falter." Ciel speaks in her monotonous voice. I'm beginning to grow tired of it, I want to hear her voice have more emotion. I'll see what I can do after this mission.

"Don't even try to hold us back." Gilbert speaks, moving his head along with the cap on it to the side as he speaks, as if for dramatic effect.

"Always glad to heed your advice, Gil."

"Well, now that that is sorted out. Can somebody fill me in on what is happening?" I clap my hands together one time to get everybody's attention as I speak. I receive stares from everyone within the group.

"Of course, I can fill you in while we get prepared." Ciel speaks to me but not in the voice I've grown accustom to. This one seems to have more humour in it. Does she find my cluelessness funny?

"... and lastly, the most recent reports indicate that the Marduk is residing within the abandoned city. It's not alone though, as the reports also indicate another Garm in the area." Ciel finishes her explanation just as my God Arc finishes the upgrades I thought would be necessary.

God Arc: Freezing Maiden (Short Blade), Sniper P (Sniper Rifle), Kurogane Tower A (Shield)

"Wait. Four missions at once?! Do you think we can handle that?" I was a bit worried. The first mission pits us up against a Garm as well as a few Zygotes. That might not be difficult but it will definitely be tiring. Then immediately after, we will fight against a Sariel, Ukonvasara and a few Ogretails. After that is a Quadriga and a Vajra. Then after that is the final battle against another Garm and the Marduk. "Can we really wipe out the Marduk's entire army and then fight _it_?" What really hit the nail on the head was the fact that we'd be in the Marduk's territory. This really isn't going to be an easy fight.

"This is the easiest route to the Marduk, and believe me when I say that we are not against the Marduk's entire army. We're just taking the easiest route to the leader and hoping that the other God Eaters will be able to fight the rest of the army." Ciel informs me but makes me worry even more.

"Don't worry about it, guys." Kota speaks from behind us, having just prepared himself for the impending battle ahead, "We will be able to manage. In fact, we might even make it to the Mardul before you." He flashes a signature grin before it is completely wiped off of his face by a punch to the head.

"Except we can't do that because we can't fight psions!" Alisa speaks with an angered tone, possibly at Kota's stupidity. Nevertheless, I thought it would be her job to protect the Outer Ghetto. Her face, and tone, eases as she speaks to us, "You'll be able to do it. Just remember that you're not alone. You'll have your friends in Blood to help you."

"Thanks guys." I tell them but they did little to quell my fears. It doesn't take too long before Ciel and I work our way onto a helicopter with the rest of Blood, on our way to conquer our first opponents.

Overlooking the new field, so appropriately named: Stronghold of the Demon Wolf: foothills, we can instantly identify where the targets are. The Garm is pretty much in the centre of the map, the two Zygotes are in the upper corners.

"Should we go for the Zygotes first?" I propose the beginning of a plan.

"No, the sound would just attract the Garm anyway. What we should do is form a four-way assault on the Garm. The Zygotes aren't important in this battle." Ciel quickly shoots down my idea.

"Yeah, I think it should be safe to ignore the Zygotes for now." Nana agrees with Ciel.

"One of us can always split off from the group if the Zygotes do cause us trouble. We should follow Ciel's plan." Gilbert reasons.

"Okay, we'll do as Ciel says." She is our tactician after all, we'll follow her plan. Almost immediately after I say this, we jump out, Ciel first and then me. The other two follow behind us.

Landing not even 20 metres away from the beast, we begin the attack. I switch my Arc to Gun Form, immediately wanting to test out the fruits of my labour which cost me a night's sleep. I set the bullet to my very own creation and fire at the Garm. It had already noticed us by the time I had shot the three bullets - depleting my OP metre - but it could do nothing to evade as a white orb clings to it and circles the Garm, locking on the rest of my bullets to it. Surprisingly, it works very well as it unbinds the Aragami's front legs.

"Was that your bullet?" Ciel asks surprised by its power as she stands alongside me, firing the bullet that we had worked on yesterday.

"I created another bullet yesterday. I'm quite happy with it." I beam a smile to her and receive one back.

"You'll need to give me the recipe for that after the mission."

"Guys, stop talking and start fighting!" Gilbert shouts, running back to intercept the Garm from charging at us. Ciel and I nod at each other, silently agreeing to stop talking until after we've defeated the Garm.

Having run out of OP, I join the melee attackers, Nana and Gilbert. Nana looks to already be abusing the opening in the Garm's armour that I had inflicted whilst Gilbert seems to be attacking from behind. Of course, whenever the Aragami turns and launches an attack, they back off and then resume attacking, changing their positions if necessary. Narrowly avoiding a fireball attack, I take up a position to the side of the Garm, having access to attack the rear or the front upon request. At the moment though, I maul the beast's back.

One minute or so into my mauling and my OP Metre reaches its maximum. I back off slightly and fire at point blank range. The bullets seem to have a greater effect at point blank as it unbinds the monster's face as it turns towards me after the first bullet hits. Almost instantly after, with one final hammer crush from Nana on its exposed head, it crumbles to the ground.

"First area complete. Requesting someone to defeat the two remaining Zygotes in the area." Ciel communicates with Hibari through her earpiece. I can't hear Hibari's response but I assume that she is sending somebody out to take care of them. Meanwhile, we begin our walk to the next area.

In our new location - Stronghold of the Demon Wolf: Mid - one of our targets can be seen immediately. The Sariel hovers a few metres above the ground to our left. The butterfly infused Aragami floats away from us at a slow pace, it's clear that it hasn't saw us yet.

"What's the plan this time?" I ask, mainly directed at Ciel as I inject my Arc with an OP restore Pill, completely filling it to prepare for shooting the monster out of the sky.

"I think we should split into two teams. One team can take care of the Sariel while the other takes care of the Ukonvasara said to be in this area." She proposes and I like the idea. Defeating both Aragami at the same time should make this mission quicker. I nod my head in response to Ciel.

"Alright, who's going with who?" Gilbert speaks up and I take a minute to look over everyone's equipment.

"Gilbert, you use an assault gun, yeah?" I wait for him to nod before resuming, "I think you'll be better off fighting against the Ukonvasara. Sniper rifles will probably be best against the Sariel to shoot it out of the sky... In that case, Ciel and I will kill the Sariel. Nana, Gilbert, your target is the Ukonvasara." I make the decision and the two of them run in search of their target, making sure not get caught by the Sariel as they do so.

"Well, Ciel, I'll give you the bullet recipe now. I suggest one person shoots while the other performs melee attacks."

"No, there are more dangers with that method than there are positives." She shoots me down so easily, something that I'm not frightened to comment on.

"Do you have to disregard my plans so easily?" I say with a mock dejected face.

"Aw, don't do that." Her words reverse my facial expression and it forms into surprise.

"What did you say?" If I had heard her correctly, she uttered a cute 'aw' sound, as well as a cute voice. I continue looking at her as she looks confused as to my question. It takes a few more seconds before she realised what she had done and I'm sure that her face turns slightly red. I can't confirm, however, as she turns around and jumps from the ledge, running towards the Sariel. I guess she will be the melee attacker.

I line my sniper rifle up and aim for the the Sariel's head. I had heard that the body of a Sariel is very resilient to gun fire while airborne. The only place that isn't is its head. Therefore, a sniper rifle would be the best option for guns. As for a melee weapon though, probably a charge hammer like Nana and I own. I should probably use my own charging hammer more often. Regardless, I shoot all three of my bullets, depleting my OP metre, and wait for them to hit the monster. They look to be going on target, but as soon as Ciel gets its attention by hitting its skirt, it spins around and raises its wings. The bullets hit the wings but do very little damage.

"Damn it!" I grunt aloud before deciding to refill my metre with another OP Restore Pill.

Having fired a few more bullets, that actually hit the Sariel's head, my OP metre is emptied again. This time, instead of refilling the metre, I decide to join Ciel in melee attacking. Every few seconds or so, I am forced to step back, whether that's due to the Sariel launching a long range orb in my direction or by encircling itself in a temporary wall of light, either way I manage to avoid damage.

A few minutes later, Ciel switches to her Gun Form and runs reasonably far back in order to use it. I secretly hope that she uses my bullets and can't help the wide grin that spreads on my face as she uses my bullet, as evidenced by the white orb circling the Sariel's head, and unbinds its head, much to my delight. She fires two more bullets, both hit the same place the first one hit and it falls to the ground, breathing heavily. Ciel joins me in attacking the beast before it no longer breathes. Ciel extracts its core and we set off to find Nana and Gilbert but not before I hear Ciel calling Hibari telling her of what has just transpired.

My battle companion and I quickly arrive to Nana and Gilbert's location, watching them finish off the Ukonvasara they were pitted against.

"What now? Do we continue?" I ask after Gilbert extracts its core. Looking up into the sky, I find it hard to believe that I never noticed how dark the sky had become.

"No, we rest here for today." A voice that I never expected to hear this soon makes itself known.

"Julius?" I say the person's name as he and a few God Arc Soldiers approach us from behind.

"It was never our intention to complete all four missions today. That's why I brought the things we need to set up camp for the night." He says this as her turns his head to an approaching God Arc Soldier with a large backpack on his back. Now that I look at the size, I'm surprised I never noticed it as soon as I saw them. It looked to be about 5 metres wide! I have no doubt that Julius couldn't carry that by himself, that's probably why the Soldier is carrying it. Nevertheless, the other two God Arc Soldiers approach and begin to take things out of the backpack. A very big tent takes up very little space as it is rolled up, what surprised me though, was seeing a total of six chairs as well as a large amount of Fenrir-given food, especially something that has the name 'Jelly filled doughnuts' which looks like simple rice balls.

"Wow! How does all of that fit in there?!" Nana enthusiastically asks the question that I'm sure lingers in all of our minds. She never receives an answer as we all help in setting up camp for the night.

"Hey, guys, um... do you feel safe camping this far out?" Nana nervously speaks up as she looks towards the roof of the tent, no doubt feeling a bit fearful seeing as how we are in the Marduk's territory. However, I assume that the God Arc Soldiers, as well as the other God Eaters, have taken care of most of the Marduk's army. Thus, there should be no reason to be fearful.

"It is a touch unsettling. We're deep in the Marduks territory." Ciel also shares her unease at the situation.

"Worry not." Julius speaks confidently, "The God Arc Soldiers are on autonomous patrol. They'll watch the perimeter." He confirms pretty much what I thought. I didn't think they'd be on patrol though.

"Thanks, Julius, that makes me feel a little better. They got us this far after all." Nana happily replies and I feel myself relaxing into my chair a bit more, hands on stomach and legs fairly spread apart. I had forgotten how it felt to relax and in the space of a minute, all of the exhaustion I've been feeling begins to catch up on me. Yet, the speaking of my team mates doesn't allow me to sleep.

"Is something troubling you, Gil?" Ciel speaks with concern for Gilbert's welfare. Now that I look at him, he does seem to be distracted.

"I'm fine." He's quick to dismay our worries, only making us worry even more.

"Thinking about Romeo, huh?" Nana seems to know what he's thinking.

"Yeah... A little." Wow, I wonder if Nana has been the same whenever she's been reflecting on memories with Romeo. "Julius, are the God Arc Soldiers ready for the real battle?" I think Gilbert might be trying to change the subject.

"The wireless control is almost complete. I'm currently teaching them strategy and tactics." Julius replies as if he's rehearsed his line.

"Good to know." Gilbert's response was quick, seemingly happy with having changed the subject.

"How are things in Blood?" It was the former Captain's turn to ask the questions now.

"Pretty good. The Captain's doing a damn fine job." I could feel my stomach happily churning as he said that with such confidence. It's good to know that I'm doing a good job, although it could be better.

"So..." Julius pauses for dramatic effect, or to get everyone's attention, I have no idea. "How could I repay you for all you've done?" Julius turns his head to the right to ask me. I make a mock thinking gesture before the perfect repayment comes into mind. I remember how Nana wanted eight pieces of chicken. I think I'll go one, no two better than that.

"Ten pieces of chicken." I say with such confidence which makes the others laugh.

"Wow! You're so brave, Cedrick! Even I wouldn't dare ask for a full ten pieces!" Nana comments before joining Ciel and Gilbert in chuckling, even Julius chuckles. Looking at Ciel though, she seems to be fitting into the troop a lot better now. She doesn't seem afraid to laugh anymore, as evidenced by her currently doing so.

"Consider it done." I turn to Julius in surprise. I wasn't actually expecting him to go through with the offer. "I will ensure you have them when the mission is complete." Nice! Now I have something to look forward to when I get back!

"Wait, seriously?!" Nana expresses her disbelief but I keep mine hidden.

"I believe I've the authority to make that happen." He says with a humoured voice, still clearly feeling the effects of my request.

"Julius..." Ciel speaks his name with a smile on her face.

"Haha!" Gilbert just chuckles.

"Yeah! We'll smash that Marduk and have ourselves a victory feast!" Nana says enthusiastically. It's a shame, really.

"Who said you all were getting any of my chicken?" I try to hide the smile that tries to emerge on my face as I speak, but I can't suppress it for long.

"Please, Captain." Nana pleads with her hands clasped together. Ciel, Gilbert and Julius laugh quietly in the background.

"I suppose I can let you have one piece..."

"Aw, but one piece isn't enough!"

"Maybe I'll let you have more if you do a good job in our fight against the Marduk." I reason with her. I fully intended to share, but this was a perfect moment to wind her up, something which Romeo would have done if he were here.

"Okay! I'll show you how good of a job I can do when we get back out there!" She shouts enthusiastically. It looks like I've motivated her to do a good job now, which is all part of the Captain's job, maybe I should get more chicken pieces...

It isn't too much later when we decide to turn in for the night. I am now fully beginning to feel the effects of my exhaustion and it won't surprise me if I am the first to fall asleep. For obvious reasons, Gilbert, Julius and I share one side of the tent whilst the girls share the other side. Yet, I can't help but face the girls' direction when I sleep. There was something about the two of their sleeping faces that I could find ease in. They didn't seem distressed about anything. Something which I'm sure haunted their sleeps when we were getting over Romeo's death. But something else in Ciel's face made me stare at her for a while. I see her eyes begin to flutter and quickly shut my eyes so she doesn't catch me staring at her, but that doesn't stop me from thinking about her. What she did earlier is still so clear in my mind. "Aw, don't do that." The words she expressed after my mock dejected face ring through my mind. It was cute, but to hear it from her made it seem even more cute.


	55. Chapter 55 - Romeo avenged!

Chapter 55

DISCLAIMER: I DO NOT OWN THE GOD EATER FRANCHISE HOWEVER I DO OWN MY OC.

Also, please leave a review!

Name: Cedrick Esparza

Gender: Male

Hairstyle: Style 7 (Dark Brown)

God Arc: Burning Maiden (Short Blade), Apega Blaze (Sniper Rifle), Kurogane Tower (Shield)

Blood Art: Fatal Riser III

In my sleep-like state, I steadily feel like I'm re-familiarising myself with my surroundings. It's only a few moments later before I feel myself wake up. As I do so, I lift my body up and feel a pain in my back that I can assume was from sleeping on the floor. I crack the kinks out of my back and feel a lot better, although it does make a loud cracking sound. I look around to see if anyone else is awake, or if I've woke anybody up. I let out a sigh of relief once I've found out that I haven't. I stand up from my spot and see what food is left from last night from the backpack. It looks as though everything apart from twelve breakfast bars.

"Well, it looks like we're having these for breakfast." I grab two of the bars and open one of them, proceeding to eat it as I make my way to my chair from last night. The breakfast bar doesn't taste too bad, I like the raisins in it but that's pretty much it. Nevertheless, food is food and we need the energy. Especially since today we will be avenging Romeo, and it won't be an easy fight.

After I've eaten my two breakfast bars, I rest into my chair. I have no idea what time it is, but if I'm the first one awake then I assume it's pretty early. I mean, I'm surprised that I'm the first one to actually be awake, especially since I only slept for about two hours the night before. Regardless, I sit and wait for my team to wake up, but judging by their faces, it doesn't look as though that will be any time soon. Gilbert seems to be sounds asleep, resting his head on a bent arm whilst facing away from me. Julius, while facing towards me, has his head resting on the ground. Nana has taken the liberty of using Ciel's leg as a pillow, the very scene looks pretty cute. Ciel also faces me and looks very peaceful, and, dare I say it, cute. Something about her face just keeps me from looking away. Her cheeks are full enough to sneak in a bite and her lips look plump and soft - Wait. What the fuck am I doing?

"Hey there, you still with us?" A hand moves in front of my face and startles me. I look to the owner of the hand to find Gilbert standing beside me. I didn't even hear him wake up!

"Oh, Gilbert. You surprised me. I didn't even hear you wake up." I comment, it must have been clear to him that I was startled.

"Yeah, I realised. You were too busy staring at Ciel." He comments with a snide grin.

"Wh-what?" I manage to say, I'm pretty sure I feel my cheeks beginning to heat up.

"You heard me. I caught you staring at Ciel. I saw that you were awake and tried to talk to you but you ignored me in favour of staring at Ciel." I was thoroughly embarrassed now.

"You've er... Got two breakfast bars in the backpack." I try to change the subject It works but only for a short while as as soon as he obtains the bars, he sits in a chair next to me and continues to wind me up.

"I didn't think she'd be the one to take your eye. I know a few women that will be jealous." He snidely comments, reclining in his chair with a smug smile on his face.

"What?" It's all I could say. I've never been in this sort of situation before, I have no idea what to say.

"Don't worry, Cedrick. I support your decision."

"Shut up, Gilbert." I finally found my voice, but it would appear that it may have been too late.

"What are you two talking so loudly about?" I don't know how to feel as we see Ciel standing up and walking over to us. It sounds as though she has just woken up, but there's no way to know that for sure.

"What did you hear?" I say nervously, despite my efforts to steel them.

"Something about Gilbert supporting your decision. What decision is he talking about?" I inwardly breathe a sigh of relief and ignore Gilbert's outburst of laughing.

"He was just commenting on my decision to pair up him and Nana to fight the Ukonvasara." I make up an excuse. Only after doing so, I realise that I've probably just given Gilbert more material to wind me up about. That's probably why he only laughs louder.

"I don't see the humour in that." Ciel speaks cluelessly and I'm thankful for it.

"Don't worry about it." I smile at her, "you've got two breakfast bars in the backpack." I move my hand and motion to the backpack.

"Oh, thank you." She says and moves to get them. I breathe a sigh of relief.

Once Julius and Nana have woke up, in that order, and hand their breakfast bars, we set out for the remaining two missions. We quickly make our way into the Stronghold of the Demon Wolf: Depths. Here, we find a Quadriga and Vajra within close proximity of each other.

"This one's going to be difficult." I mutter before turning around to my team. Julius had stayed reasonably far back so that he can command the God Arc Soldiers, seeing as how his job is to command them and not physically help us in our battle. "We'll be employing the same tactic as before-"

"Will you be going with Ciel?"

"Shut up, Gilbert. Nana, we'll take the Quadriga. Ciel, Gilbert, remember that when Vajras are angry, they are even more susceptible to flash grenades. It would be wise to try and separate the two Aragami from each other. Any objections?" I ask my group and receive none.

"In that case, Nana, we'll try and lure the Quadriga into a more open area. Ciel, Gilbert, wait until we've done that before you attack. Okay, let's go Nana." The two of us run closer to the Aragami and hide behind a ledge. "Now if I shoot the Quadriga, it will come and check out what hit it. From there, we continue shooting but remain hidden until we've dragged it far enough away from the Vajra." I inform Nana of my plan.

"Hey, Cedrick, why did you tell Gilbert to shut up?" I stare at her incredulously after hearing her say that.

"Don't worry about it. It's just an ongoing joke Gilbert and I have." I disregard her concern easily.

"Oh, okay. I thought it was weird for Gilbert to laugh after you told him that." Thankfully, she seems to have bought my excuse. She probably asked that because she didn't expect me to tell Gilbert to shut up with such a stern voice. I'll smooth it over with her later - actually, I can't. Then I'd have to tell her about Gilbert catching me staring at Ciel while she was asleep. It looks like I can't do that then. Regardless-

"So who's shooting?" Nana's question brings me out of my thoughts.

"I will." I switch my Arc to Gun Form and aim at the Quadriga's right missile pod. I fire one bullet and duck as soon as it leaves my gun's chamber. Immediately after, we begin sneaking away. As soon as we hear the Quadriga's pained shout, we run, still crouching, in order to find somewhere to hide. We also hear the Vajra shout, probably due to the surprise of the Quadriga's sudden vocalisation as it doesn't seem to follow it. Nana and I find another good place to hide behind and repeat the process a couple of times until we've separated the Quadriga and the Vajra nicely.

As the Quadriga turns the final corner, we get the spring on it. Nana hits the Quadriga on the same points that I've been shooting at and manages to unbind its missile pod.

"Nice hit, Nana!" I comment before joining her in the onslaught - having to jump up onto a few raised platforms in order to hit the weaker parts of it seeing as how it is covered in armour. The only thing that makes me regret having to fight the Quadriga instead of the Vajra.

Five minutes into Nana and my onslaught, Gilbert and Ciel join us - having taken care of the Vajra. With the four of us working together, the beast stands no chance. Swipe after swipe of its now exposed armour and it crumbles to the ground in front of us.

"Now, only the Marduk and another Garm remain." I inform the others. "Just like all our other battles, this will be no easy fight. I suggest that we defeat the Garm first so that all four of us can take on the Marduk together. We know what happened the last time two people tried to take on the psion." I pause there, it was clear that they remember. Romeo died and Julius had left Blood. There's no way that they had forgotten about that, but they needed to be reminded so that they know not to take the psion lightly. "If we all understand that, let's head out." I must have sounded like a real leader then. I'm actually quite pleased with myself. I can't get carried away though for the reason that I told the rest of my team.

Leading away from the Stronghold of the Demon Wolf, we now head into the Abandoned City. As we arrive, there are already clear signs that another Aragami is in the area. Littered everywhere are the corpses of small Aragami like Ogretails and Dreadpikes. We approach the centre of city.

"Like I said before, we will attack the Garm first." With that, the four of us begin our adventure to find the Garm. It doesn't take too long before we see it feeding on a deceased Ogretail. "Okay team, I'm going to give you the bullet recipe I made a couple of nights ago. It is very effective against Blaze type Aragami like the Garm." I transfer my bullet recipe to the remaining members of my team that didn't have the bullet, Gilbert and Nana. I'm just glad that I managed to make similar bullets for each weapon type while I made the first one. "Two stay back and shoot, the other two will melee attack it. Once somebody's OP has been depleted, that person and a melee attacker switch positions." With the instructions given, we start the fight.

Surprisingly, it takes very little effort to kill the Garm. My bullet seems to have worked like a charm. One thing that concerns me though, we haven't run into the Marduk yet. Which is good that we weren't distracted by it when killing the Garm, but what if it has already escaped and left this area. We wander around for the next few minutes and, once we've found no sign of the monster, resign to having a break in the centre of the map. It is then that we hear a loud bang. We turn around and see the same monster that I saw a long time ago, when I was still the Vice Captain. Only this time, the monster isn't hesitating to attack. It scrapes its front foot along the ground and it jumps towards me. I manage to deploy my shield to protect me and I'm forced backwards several metres. The psion bounces back and roars, unleashing a visible wall of red. My team and I charge towards it.

Instantly, the psion leaps towards us. We manage to avoid it easily but I only narrowly avoid the Marduk's swirling tornado-like attack which scoops Nana up into the air and throws her to the ground. Being closest to her, Ciel catches her to avoid making her colliding with the ground. I run to them as the Marduk finds the time to jump right at them. Quickly deploying my shield in front of them, they deploy their shields too, we manage to deflect the attack where Gilbert finds the opportunity to drive his spear into its rear left leg. If the psion felt that, it didn't show it. The Aragami just seemed to shrug off the attack and proceeded to make another swirling-tornado which captures all of us in it. The difference this time being that we've all deployed our shields in time and are uninjured by it. As soon as it finishes the attack, we attack. The little shake of its head to try and cure its own dizziness gives us the chance to attack without instant retaliation so we take our opportunity. While my team mates prefer to give out melee attacks, Iuse my new bullets to hit the beast. Once they hit, I switch my Arc back to Melee Form and try to assess the damage from the bullets. They do leave visible marks but don't look to have caused a lot of damage, unlike the battle with the Garm a while ago. After assessing, I join in with the melee attacking.

It's only moments after I join my team in attacking melee-style that the Marduk takes action again. From underneath it, a swirling circle of fire forms. We back away as soon as we see it, I deploy my shield again whilst the others switch into Gun Form and launch my created bullets at the beast. Surprisingly, the Marduk stops its attack as it feels the effects of my bullets. I run at the beast and swipe my blade against its exposed shoulders. It growls in pain before quickly swatting me away with its claw and makes me painfully collide with a very old wall.

"Captain! Move!" Nana shouts and I soon realise why. A few small pieces of rock begins to fall onto my head so I jump up despite the pain and roll forward several metres, narrowly avoiding the collapsing wall. I give myself a minute to recover before rejoining the fight by launching my share of bullets.

After another five minutes of seemingly getting nowhere, I devise a plan.

"Guys! Hang tight for a bit!" I run around the side of the nearest wall and deploy a paralysis trap. Right above the trap is a small, unstable bridge connecting two buildings. "Bring it over here!" I shout to my team mates and watch as they steadily make it launch attacks heading in this direction. It is a minute or two later until the beast actually makes its way over and triggers the trap.

"Now, run around it!" I shout and we all do so now we are standing in the open field again. Unfortunately, it manages to turn itself around but cannot attack due to the paralysis. I check to see where my team mates are and see that they're firing at the Marduk from about one metre behind me. My target though, is a little bit higher than that. With one bullet, I shoot the archway connecting the two buildings where multiple rocks fall onto the beast. It shrieks in pain at the sudden attack and crumbles to its stomach, still very much alive.

"I'm not sure you're allowed to do that." Ciel says with a tinge of 'what will other people think?' in her voice.

"It's an abandoned city Ciel, don't worry about it." Nana chips in to support my decision and to stop Ciel's worrying. Regardless, it is only a few seconds of shooting at the beast later when the paralysis trap ceases its effect and shrugs off the rocks that had piled on top of it. Its face seems a lot more angry than it was before. Unlike before, however, it was beginning to breathe heavily. I inwardly smile. It will soon be defeated.

I couldn't express my joy that it was actually injured to my team mates as it leaps towards. I'm not sure about the others, but I manage to deploy my shield just in time. Then the beast jumps backwards and I retract my shield, only to be met by monster leaping at me again. I narrowly avoid it by rolling to the side. I had let my guard down! I almost died!

"Keep it together, Cedrick. We've still got a jump to do here." Gilbert shouts before charging towards the recovering Marduk. We're now pretty much in the centre of the map again. We have more space to move around in but so does the Marduk.

I charge towards the Aragami and manage to land a few hits on its rear legs before it turns around and tries to squash me with its shoulders by putting all of its weight onto its shoulders and using gravity to bring it to the ground. I roll away from it and land a few swipes on its face before I back up and deplete my OP metre by shooting three bullets at it. It shrinks back in pain before howling and causing a circle of fire to spawn from underneath it. Knowing what will happen next, I move a few metres to my left and charge at the monster, just as it unleashes the fireball. What I didn't expect was for it to fire three at once so I only narrowly avoid one of them by deploying my shield. After the attack fizzles away, I get a chance to strike the monster and do so on its, now unbound, rear legs. Amazingly, that seems to be all the attacks the monster can take as it falls to the ground.

"Now, get its core!" I shout and move forward to extract it. Unfortunately though, the beast seems to have duped us as it, slowly, gets back to its feet.

"You refuse to give up!" I shout at the monster incredulously. It was clear that it had lost. It was breathing very heavily and could barely stand on its own four feet. That didn't change as it tried to shake its head and regain its composure. Nevertheless, I ready my Arc, prepared to bring it down once and for all. Fortunately though, instead of wasting more energy doing so, I see a familiar hunk of metal entering the battlefield. Not one, not two but at least three of them enter at the same time.

"Julius must have caught up." Nana speaks up with hope in her voice, obviously seeing the God Arc Soldiers too. The Marduk begins charging at us, but before it can jump towards us the God Arc Soldiers open fire on it relentlessly. It stops in its tracks to see what was firing at it. Try as it might to shake off the attacks, with Ciel, Nana, Gilbert and I chipping away at the monster's health too, it ultimately falls with a final roar: never to move again. I extract its core before we do anything else.

"Romeo's finally avenged. I hope he finds his peace." Ciel is the first to speak.

"It's done." Gilbert collapses to the ground, exhausted from the battle, "Huh?" his most recent outburst concerns me though. I see him stare towards the God Arc Soldiers and follow his gaze. The soldiers switch their Arcs back to Melee Form and stand with them firmly to their side.

"We won... But it's still quiet..." Nana speaks with sadness riddling her voice, I turn towards her as she continues. "It still always seems quiet without Romeo here." Ciel briskly comes to her side.

"I know, Nana... I don't think I'll ever grow used to his absence." Ciel speaks with a similar voice. I turn to Gilbert to see if he seems the same way. He has his head down to the ground, just like Nana, most likely thinking of Romeo.

"Good job team! We've finally defeated that beast!" I shout enthusiastically, hoping that by being enthusiastic I can at least stop them from being miserable.

"Yeah, I guess we did." Nana says with a smile, albeit a sad smile, on her face. Movement from the God Arc Soldiers make us look in their direction. They walk, without threat, towards us. From behind one of them is Julius.

"Yes, good job indeed." He speaks up as soon as he is within range.

"That's all of them." Gilbert comments professionally, standing beside me which I never even heard or seen him move.

"Yes it is." Is the professional reply from Julius.

"Fighting at their side, now I see why you worked so hard. Julius, I would have accepted no less from you." I guess Gilbert sees the reason why Julius left us then.

"Thanks so much, Julius!" Nana shrills energetically. Honestly, I feel a little hurt at how she can be so happy with Julius and not with her team. Could this just be an act? No, she seems genuinely thankful. "We never woulda found the Marduk without your God Arc Soldiers! How freakin' cool are these things! So freaking cool! Aaah! You rock!" It still hurts how she can be so energetic with him. I guess she just misses Julius.

"Thank you, Nana." Julius replies in a grateful voice. It appears her words have touched him. "I created them for you. I swore I'd never let any of you be hurt, and I mean to keep that oath." He is met with no response. It must be clear to everyone that Julius is still experiencing the pain of losing Romeo, just like the rest of us only his pain seems to be worse.

"Julius, you should come back." A professional Ciel makes herself known, "You can continue your research and still serve alongside us in Blood. Please." She takes several steps forward as she speaks, finding more confidence in her words as she does so. "Surely, with all of us working as one, we can..." She stops talking as Julius interrupts, what I notice though is that he can't bear to look at her as he does interrupt,

"Ciel, this is my calling. I must take up this work alone." With that settled, he turns to me.

"I leave Blood in your care, Captain." I also notice he doesn't say my name. He must only want a professional relationship with Blood now. Acquaintances, that's all he wants to be. Nevertheless, I nod my head once. He give the same response, taking a breath before turning on his heels and walking away from us, God Arc Soldiers accompanying him.

"Julius, don't go yet! ..." Nana's outburst surprises me. I can't say that I didn't expect something like this though. "W-Will we ever see you again?" She must know that we will. I suppose only Julius can comfort her on this though. He stops in his tracks and turns his head slightly.

"Of course." Is his reply. Leaving us on those words. With our farewells said and done, Ciel calls Hibari for us to be picked up.


	56. Chapter 56 - Erina

Chapter 56

DISCLAIMER: I DO NOT OWN THE GOD EATER FRANCHISE HOWEVER I DO OWN MY OC.

Also, please leave a review!

Name: Cedrick Esparza

Gender: Male

Hairstyle: Style 7 (Dark Brown)

"Hey, Romeo..." Nana begins speaking with a sorrowful voice. I'm not surprised though, considering we stand, or in her case kneeling, in front of Romeo's grave. Having defeated the Marduk, Ciel thought it would be a good idea to inform Romeo of this new event. She garnered permission to board Friar but we've been restricted access to other parts of the ship. The only place we can go is the Garden. As soon as we are done here, we need to leave Friar. I'm not sure why everyone wants us away though. I don't even get the chance to see Dr. Rachel or Julius for that matter. "We did it. We defeated the monster... I hope we put you to rest. Everyone's a lot stronger now. I think we're tough enough to take on anything." She breathes to take a sharp breath, most likely to keep her composure. "We may not always get along perfectly, but... we'll be okay, I think. So... you shouldn't worry about us, okay? We'll be great. Huh?" At Nana's unusual ending, I angle my head so that I can see the tombstone from around her. Something must have made her say "huh?" and the only thing I can think of is the tombstone. Has something else been inscribed onto it?

"That flower... It's..." There's a flower on it? Ah. There'd be only one person who would come here instantly after defeating the Marduk other than us. The other person that was heavily inflicted with the pain of losing a friend. It's hard to think that he whimpered on my shoulder with all of his secret mourning.

"It was him." Gilbert says solemnly. I guess that he knows who it's from too.

"I wish he'd told us he was coming." Ciel speaks, moving her head to the side and away from the tombstone.

"Julius..." Is the last word that leaves Nana's mouth before we re ushered out of Friar.

After re-entering the Far East Branch, I head straight to my room. I still needed a good rest after what has happened over the past couple of days. First of all, I hardly got any sleep before the beginning of the four-part mission. Then last night, I got very little sleep in the tent - admittedly I was staring at Ciel too much which distracted me from further sleep. After that were the next two missions, the last of which was a long fought battle but in the end, we avenged Romeo. Our mission was complete. Now, being in my room where there is a nice, comfy bed, I drop onto it and wait for sleep to overcome me.

I wake up the next morning feeling very energetic.

"It's amazing what sleep can do for you." I say as I roll onto my side and check the time. Only after doing so do I wish that I hadn't.

"11:30!" I exclaim in surprise. I didn't think I had slept for too long. "I'd better check my emails to see if anyone has tried to contact me." I say quietly to myself and head to the terminal.

"Only one email and it's from Kanon... A status report?" I read the subject of the email aloud before quickly skimming over the text.

 _I went on a mission with Kigurumi! It moves really well, despite the getup. The way it used space and timed its attack, the way it drew their attention... It was all just so perfect! Who the heck is IN there?!_

That seemed like a rather rude email concerning whoever Kigurumi is. I haven't met the guy yet but it seems as though he wears a mask? I'm only conjecturing. Kanon used "it" a lot though. Maybe the person wears something more than a mask? Nah, that can't be practical when fighting Aragami, despite what Kanon says. With that, I complete my morning routine and get prepared for the day ahead.

For breakfast, I decide to head into the lounge instead of the typical breakfast from the cafeteria. It may cost a bit more for the food, but somehow Mutsumi's cooking is a lot better than the chefs that have over twenty years more experience than her. Seriously, how the hell can a nine years old girl cook food this good. As I eat, I listen to the conversations around me.

"Sheesh you're just like the God Arc Soldiers. Neither of you talk when you fight!" I look to the owner of the voice and see Kanon talking to a life-size stuffed rabbit- wait! Did that rabbit move? I rub my eyes just to make sure and, sure enough, the rabbit is still waving its arms frantically.

"Hey, Mutsumi." I whisper to her.

"Yes? Would you like a second helping?" She asks me, I look down to my plate and find it to be empty.

"No thanks. Why does Kanon have a life-size mechanical stuffed rabbit?" I enquire with a confused expression, pointing in the direction of Kanon and her stuffed toy. Mutsumi follows my finger before she chuckles and faces me.

"That's not a toy. That's Kigurumi." She informs me with a humorous smile on her face.

"She went on a mission with a stuffed rabbit?" I question as the name reminds of the email from this morning.

"It's not- well, the costume is stuffed but with a person. We don't know who though." I blink incredulously at Mutsumi. Satisfied that she has answered my question, she returns to her job. I continue blinking incredulously in the direction of Kanon and the supposed Kigurumi.

"Mutsumi must be in on Kanon's joke. Either that, or she's trying to protect the fact that Kanon may be mentally unstable." I reason with myself in a whisper. "After being a god Eater for as long as her and being scolded by most of her team mates, I wouldn't be surprised if she developed a mental health problem. Yeah that must be it. She probably asked Licca to create a mechanical stuffed rabbit. Actually, I haven't seen Licca for a while. Maybe I should pay her a visit soon."

"Hey, did you hear that Yuno is depressed?" A conversation from two people I've never seen before catches my attention and distracts me from the robot bunny. They don't have armlets so I deduce that they're not God Eaters.

"I'm not interested in that. I want to know what's taking Captain Amiella so long." As soon as that sentence was uttered, the other person dropped the subject about Yuno being depressed. I wonder if it is because of Romeo's death. I should pay her a visit before I do anything else.

With that, I leave the lounge and head to Yuno's room. Upon doing so, I find it to be wide open and decide to step inside. After looking around the room for Yuno, I find her sitting on the couch. I head over to her.

"Something's not right..." I hear her mutter.

"Whats wrong?" She jumps slightly upon hearing my voice but regains her composure quickly.

"Oh, sorry... I was just thinking about something..." Maybe I was right to suspect that she was dwelling over Romeo's death. I wonder, if I don't address it, will she become like Julius and suffer in silence? I can't let that happen to another person, not when I can prevent it!

"Yuno, you should-"

"I've mailed Asuna several times since she moved, and... nothing. No news at all." Well, it looks like I jumped the gun a bit. Nevertheless, I hear her out. "I'm sure the treatment is hard on her. She's never taken this long to respond, though, so I'm worried." I can tell by the sound of her voice that she is feeling worry for Asuna. Wasn't she the girl that Yuno was always with a while ago?

"Why don't you visit her?" I propose. She moves her head upwards to look me in the eyes and I must admit, I know now why Romeo was so fond of her. She does have a certain charm...

"Hmm?" She drops her head back down. "Yeah, you're right. I should go see her myself. Why didn't I think of that myself? Thank you, I'll see if Friar will let me pay her a visit." She says and quickly leaves her room. I follow suit, not wanting to be seen as the only person in a woman's bedroom. I don't want somebody to accuse me of anything.

On my way to Hibari's mission desk, I find a certain somebody sitting on a couch just before Hibari's desk.

"I knew if I waited long enough you'd show up." The energetic teen makes it known that she was looking for me. I wonder why. Does she need more lessons?

"So what's up, Erina?" I ask. Clearly she wanted something either from me or with me. I won't know until she answers.

"Have you got time now? I want you to come on a mission with me." It seems as though she does want another lesson. "Don't tell me you've forgotten your promise." Damn, it seems I have. I don't remember making her a promise at all. Not that I'd tell her that.

"Of course I remember!" I try my best to deceive her.

"I'm not so sure..." Maybe trying my best was my downfall. "Well, whatever." Yes! She bought it. "Not time like the present, right? I've got some time to kill now. Can you come?"

"Are you ready?" I ask her, there'd be no point in going on a mission if she herself wasn't ready.

"Of course I am. It's not as if I spend all day twiddling my thumbs! Now, I've already arranged a mission for the two of us with Hibari." As Erina continues talking, I rotate my head to Hibari's mission desk and see her casually wave. I guess Erina wasn't lying. "And we'll be fighting a Gboro-Gboro as well as a few small Aragami. Meet me on the roof when you are ready." She informs me and I set about preparing myself.

God Arc: Paige Blaze (Short Blade), Sniper P (Sniper Rifle), Kurogane Tower A (Shield)

Blood Art: Killer Bee Stab I

After making sure to equip the appropriate equipment as well as restocking on OP Restore Pills, I meet Erina standing by a helicopter. We say the occasional sentence to each other, but I notice that she seems nervous.

"Why are you so shaky?" I ask, calling her out on her nerves. She didn't seem like the type to be nervous before a mission. I'm sure if I ask Emil, he will agree with me.

"It's nothing." She says and wills herself to stop shaking. I don't say anything about it, but I should keep an eye on her during the mission. I wouldn't want her to freeze up in the face of a Gboro-Gboro that can swallow her whole. Come to think of it, it isn't too long ago that I would freeze up if an Aragami was charging at me. I guess with more experience you tend not to freeze up anymore.

Within only five minutes of landing on the ground, the Gboro-Gboro had been defeated.

"Well that was easy." I comment before calling Hibari to be picked up. I dismiss her surprise at the quick mission and ask to for the helicopter that dropped us off to turn around and pick us up. She complies and drops the communication line with me in order to open one up with the pilot.

"Hey, um..." I notice that I only hear one set of footsteps as we walk towards the pick up point, my own. I turn around to see Erina in a similar nervous fashion as to what she was like on the helicopter not even ten minutes ago. "Is there anyone you really don't like to go on missions with? Or maybe not..." She asks me, slightly shaking as indicated by the small movements of her God Arc. Was she scared of my answer? Oh, wait. I think I know why she is so nervous.

"Don't worry, Erina, it feels good to go on missions with you." I say to dismiss her fears. She probably thinks she's a bother to me.

"That's not what I meant." She speaks in an annoyed tone, her shaking having stopped as well. I take a few seconds to think over another response. While I don't particularly like going on missions with people with bad aim, no names mentioned, *ahem* Kanon *ahem* I know that they can't help it. Practice makes perfect after all.

"People who show up late." I reply.

"That's not what I'm talking about, either!" She grows more annoyed.

"What do you mean then?" I ask with clear confusion. She isn't making this easy for me. Her face eases into its regular state as she answers,

"I mean like someone you like or... or really don't like. As a person. You know what I mean?"

"It would be unprofessional." Is the only response I can think to give. I'm right though. Whoever you're with on the battlefield has to know that too. Otherwise it would be more dangerous than any Aragami, in my opinion.

"Hmm... That's a really grown up thing to say." She moves her head to the side. I wonder if she never thought of that answer. "But, um..." Not giving up, huh? "What if... What if it's someone who really likes, or I guess doesn't like... you?" As she speaks, she walks in a circular motion, possibly to ease her nerves.. She may not be shaking anymore, but that doesn't mean she isn't nervous. "What if it's someone who really, really cares about you?" She says that part so confidently that I realise that this isn't just a hypothetical question. "I... Had a big brother. He was so cool and nice and, like, the best God Eater out there." She takes a reminiscing tone, and the use of the word 'had' implies that she no longer 'has' a big brother. I wonder if she's been trying to tell me that she doesn't like going on missions with Emil. Yeah, that could be it. He always seems to be trying to protect her. "Three years ago he got called out on a mission and... didn't come back. First, I didn't believe he was gone. I didn't want to believe. I stayed up for days, crying. I realised, as long as there are Aragami here, people will keep losing their big brothers... I decided right then that I'd free the world of Aragami. That's why I picked up a God Arc." So that's why Erina wanted to become a God Eater.

"That is a big goal." Is the only comment I can make, not sure of what else to say.

"Th-Thanks." She stutters out thankfully with a matching smile on her face. "I spent a long time trying to figure out what happened. He'd gone on that mission with Soma and a rookie. Erik always used to say,'People may not get me, but I get them.' And I think... I think he really did. I'd like to hope that maybe I can understand too. I remember how I first acted when the rookie brought Erik's body back. I blamed him instantly. Looking back now, that was a stupid thing to do. I had developed a hatred for him and Soma back then. People say really cruel things about Soma... But then I became a God Eater and I don't think those things anymore, to either of them." It sounds as though Erina needed to talk about this for a while, and she chose me to open up to. I'm not going to lie, I'm quite happy that she did choose me.

"It's not fair to expect someone else to always protect you. They're wrong to say such mean things about Soma. He's not a monster... But I do think he's been blaming himself for not being able to keep my big brother safe. I've..." She turns towards me again. "I've been assigned on a mission with Soma. Which is fine, except..." I see, it was Soma she was talking about before, and if she's telling me this, she probably wants me to accompany her. "He's way too worried about me being in harm's way. He tries too hard to look out for me. After last time, I actually started avoiding going on missions with Soma. So, um..." Here it comes. Now is when she will ask me.

"Want a chaperone?"

"Would you?" She says in such a hopeful and thankful voice that there's no way I can turn her down now. "I don't think I can talk to him alone. Thank you so much!" What I didn't expect was for her to bow her thanks to me. This must mean a lot for her.

"Whenever that mission is, you come and get me. I'll most likely be in the Den somewhere." With that, the helicopter above us makes itself known. We quickly head for the pickup point.

As soon as we arrive back at the Den, we split ways. I head to my bedroom, where I remain undisturbed for three hours as I play with the terminal and see if there is a way I can improve my God Arc even more. Unfortunately, every time I click on a possible improvement, the materials are listed as "?". I may have to talk to Licca about that. Actually, I have the time now, I can do so now.

"Hey there, Captain." I jump slightly as Satsuki, Yuno's agent, walks into my room and makes herself comfortable on my bed. "I got a favour to ask. Have you got a moment?"

"I guess I have." I reply, although no reply was really necessary. She would have started telling me what this favour was anyway. Not that I'd turn it down, it's just that I don't like the way she walked into my room and instantly stole my bed.

"You see, as per your request," Is she trying to make me feel guilty for something? "Yuno tried to go and visit Asuna, she's one of the plague patients they took over to Friar for further study. But that Doctor... Raquelle... Rachel... Whatever..." Hey! Don't casually forget her name! She's been kind enough to Blood! Of course, I would never verbally say this to Satsuki. "Wouldn't even let her in to see the girl! She said Asuna wouldn't be getting any of Yuno's letters or emails or anything either!" That doesn't sound right. Why would Dr. Rachel say that? "It's like they sealed off the whole fortress. Don't get me wrong, she made all sorts of protests about it being 'to prevent infection', but I don't trust a word outta that girl's mouth."

"You realise you're talking about the person who founded my Unit, right?" I casually ask with a nervous smile on my face.

"That's where it stands, and that's where you come in." She ignores my question. "Is there anybody on Friar that you still implicitly trust?" I cup my chin with my hand as I think.

"Well, Julius." I trust him 100%, even if he hid his thoughts about leaving Blood from us until the last minute when he actually decided to go through with it.

"Believe you me, Good ol' Julius was the first person I tried to contact. I got silence from him. Is there anyone else?" She replies, dismissing my suggestion as she had already tried to contact him.

"I still trust Dr. Rachel 100%" Is my next suggestions, "Have you tried to contact her directly?"

"Seriously? Really? Were you not listening? She's the one who turned us away in the first place!" Well, that idea's not going to work. Who else is on Friar? Director Grem? No, I hate him as much as he hates me. Is there any staff I can trust wholeheartedly?

"There's Fran, an operator." I speak after several moments of silence. Judging by the look on her face, she's happy with my answer.

"Ah, I see. Fran, huh? Tell me about her. And, uh, could we maybe keep this between the two of us?" She holds her ear out as if to tell me to whisper to her. Honestly though, I'm not sure that anything I say will be kept a secret between us. After all, she is a reporter as well. All it will take is a little bit of an information swap for her to release what I tell her, thus making it no longer a secret. Regardless of the fact that I will probably regret the decision, I tell her all I know about Fran. Making sure to whisper it into her ear.

"Ah! Ah ha! I see!" She says occasionally, I wonder how this information will be useful to her. "Simple as that. Looks like Fran is our way in."

"Hey, uh... Don't cause her any trouble. She's probably got her hands full already." I couldn't help but worry about what Satsuki was planning.

"Don't worry! I promise I won't cause her any trouble. I'll just conduct a little 'informal interview'. Hehehe!" I don't like the sound of that laugh. "Oh, totally sorry to just barrge in on you like that! Haha! But hey, thanks." As soon as she has finished it though, she rushes out of my room, eager to get to work.

"Uh, what was I going to do again?" 

Having forgotten what I was going to do, I finished the rest of the day by going to the training simulator in order to try and create a new, more powerful bullet. By the end of the day, I had created another bullet but it had about the same level of power as the previous one I made.

The next day, I get a rather loud wake up call from frantic knocking on my door.

"What is it?" I yell, having only just woken up and getting myself ready.

"Remember how I talked about going on a mission with Soma? Well, I'm going soon. Can you come with me?" Erina asks nervously.

"Yeah. Just give me a few minutes to prepare." With that said, I tell her that I'll meet her on the helicopter.

Five minutes later, the helicopter is taking off.

"Hey, where's Soma?" I ask. Having only met the guy once, I wonder what he'll be like. If he's as protective as Erina says then should I expect somebody like Emil?

"He asked me to meet him on site. I can't mope around here all day. I'll just have to go and see!"

"Do you really hate him that much?" I ask after she finishes her complaint.

"I don't hate him," She shrinks back in her seat. "But I get all tense when I remember my last mission with him. I mean, I'm a good fighter. If I could get him to understand that, things might be different." Erina shuts up after that, seemingly not wanting to talk about it anymore. I guess we'll see how things go on the battlefield.

After landing on the ground, we rush over to Soma.

"I didn't know you were bringing company." Soma speaks to Erina as we stop by him.

"Yeah, Captain Esparza offered to come along so I brought him." I inconspicuously look at Erina as she makes up an excuse for me being here.

"Very well." He nods to me before briefing Erina, "Technically, our objective is to mop up stragglers, but in truth, we're out here to hunt the Golden Gboro-Gboro. Its body contains some exceedingly rare resources. We're to secure as much as we possibly can." He turns to me to give my instructions, "Captain, you'll take point and we'll advance together..." He turns back to Erina to give hers. "Erina, your task is to stay back and maintain an arc of covering fire."

"Oh... Okay." She isn't very pleased with her orders. Now is your chance, Erina. Tell him! But no matter how much I look and silently plead with her to speak up about it, she doesn't look at me and notice it.

"Move out." With that, I ready my Arc in Melee Form.

It doesn't take long before we run into a problem. A Kongou. I'm just happy that it is the regular variant, and thus, weak to my Arc's Blaze attribute.

"Erina, open fire and distract it from back here. The two of us will rush it." Soma instructs Erina and I run ahead.

"I can fight it too!" I hear Erina shout. I can only hear my own footsteps now. Her outburst must have attracted Soma's attention, but that's not the only thing it attracts.

"GRAA" The Kongou roars and fires of a condensed ball of wind in their direction. I rush in front of it and deploy my shield.

"Erina! There's no way I'm letting you get hurt! Now get behind us and stay safe!" Soma shouts his reply despit only being a few metres away from Erina. I would like to give Erina some support right now by standing beside her, but fighting alone is tough. Especially against an Aragami like the Kongou that have many attacks. I narrowly avoid the Kongou's rolling attacking and immediately commence piercing it several times. After doing so the fourth time, I feel an increased surge of energy from within me and let it loose on the beast, shattering its face mask as it turned to view me.

Blood Art: Killer Bee Stab II

It bounces back in pain and grabs its face, giving me clear access to its torso where I maul the beast with multiple piercing attacks.

"What do you mean, 'safe'?! We're God Eaters. This is a battle. We have to fight! Stop treating me like a kid!" I hear Erina shout back. I must admit though, I'm in the mood for some shouting as well.

"By my blade!" It's been a while since I've actually combated an Aragami alone.I just feel so energetic and alive. Is this how Nana feels all the time? I wish I was like this all the time...

"I'm not just here to watch! Oscar is a God Arc, and we want to help!" Erina named her God Arc Oscar? How unusual. Nevertheless, as the beast finally lets go of its face, it attempts to body flop me seeing as how I am in such close proximity. I easily avoid by back-pacing several times before continuing my onslaught.

"Erina... *sigh* You're right. Very well, we'll change our tactics, then. Think you can keep up with me?" It sounds as though Erina has won the argument. Good job, Erina!

"Y-Yeah..." With that the rush in to help me. It's a shame they'll have to wait until the next Aragami appears before they can work together.

"Scatter before me like leaves on the wind!" With my shout, I stab the beast once more and it crumbles to the ground, multiple seconds before the other two catch up.

"I've never heard you shout like that before. You must have been having fun." I turn to Erina and only just realise that I'm panting a fair amount, I also feel the muscles around my mouth ease and ccome to the realisation that I was smiling. I don't know why that was the case. I wonder if it was because I was still asleep only 30 minutes ago. Hmm... Maybe I'm a very early morning person. Nah, that can't be it.

"I guess I did have fun."

"*cough* Sadist *cough*" Erina jokes and I chuckle lightly.

"Anyway, we should keep moving to find the Golden Gboro-Gboro." Soma comments and we begin moving again. "There's something you should know though. Apparently, it's a lot easier to kill than other Aragami..." He says.

It turns out that he was right. Not even a minute after finding two Golden Gboro-Gboros they flop to the ground in an unmoving heap. I extract the core of one of them before Soma uses his Arc to devour the entire corpse of the beasts. I didn't know that you could do that! I'll need to try it next time.

"We should call it a day here. I've still got some field work to take care of." Soma says, relaxing now that the immediate threat had been taken care of. Or actually, lack of a threat if we are to compare these Golden Aragami to their originals. I notice Erina look to me slightly and I give her a nod. I'm not sure why she looked at me, but she most likely did it for support.

"Um... S-Soma, you did a really good job!" She congratulates Soma on a job well done. He stares at her for a few moments, which probably makes her nervous, before he speaks. "Yeah, so did you. See you two." He says without actually moving, most likely expecting a response. I merely nod at him.

"Okay! Great! Thanks! Thanks for today!" Erina sounds a lot more enthusiastic than I've heard from her in the past two days. She must be glad that things went well. Erina bows her thanks to Soma before he leaves us.

After Soma has left our sight, Erina speaks up.

"I wanted to thank you for coming with me. You really made it so much easier to talk to him." She says solemnly before almost rushing her next sentence, "By the way... During the mission," I'm sure she means when I was killing the Kongou but whatever, "I was kinda just blurting out whatever came to mind. Did it sound weird?" I wonder, does she feel embarrassed.

"'Blurting' is the correct word. You were a bit too loud." I say, humoured by her embarrassment. I only proceed to chuckle at her next words.

"What?! Really?! Oh no! Nngh... I'm so embarrassed. I'll be better next time." I'm not sure what she means by that, but it eases my chuckle down to a smile. Maybe she thinks that what she said isn't enough to convince Soma. She needs some more confidence in that department. I'm sure that after their next mission, she won't be thinking the same thing.

"All right!" She changes her tune so quickly that it surprises me. No longer feeling embarrassed, now she sounds confident. Typical teenage girl with mood swings. "Let's head back!" I nod my head in agreement and allow Erina the privilege of communicating for our helicopter with Hibari. I wonder how the rest of the day will play out...


	57. Chapter 57 - Two words without context

Chapter 57

DISCLAIMER: I DO NOT OWN THE GOD EATER FRANCHISE HOWEVER I DO OWN MY OC.

Also, please leave a review!

Name: Cedrick Esparza

Gender: Male

Hairstyle: Style 7 (Dark Brown)

UPDATE: Addressed an issue with misidentification.

Upon arrival back in the Den, I headed into the lounge to get a delicious, yet expensive, breakfast made by Mutsumi. I can continue to get breakfast from here and guarantee top quality food if I complete a minimum of two missions per day. I've already completed one so I only need to complete one more throughout the day in order to achieve the same amount of money I would have had had I not bought a breakfast from Mutsumi. Actually, that's incorrect. I'll have made a profit of about 1000 Fenrir Credits: meaning I'll be better off than what I was before I bought the breakfast. I currently get paid about 5500FC for each mission, and breakfast is usually 10000FC so at least I can continue eating good food instead of the lacklustre cafeteria food everyday.

As I finish the last bite of food and give the cutlery back to Mutsumi, someone makes their presence known from beside me.

"Tell me something." Just by the tone alone, I can tell it is Haruomi. "How do you feel about older women? And men, I guess." It sounds as though we're about to have a typical Haruomi-style perverted discussion. You know, it's actually been a while since I've been able to let out my inner-pervertedness.

"As long as the woman isn't too old. I'd say a ten year limit. As for men, I don't swing that way. So, I'm going to have to reject you, Haruomi." I laugh at my own joke. He laughs slightly before giving me a brotherly punch on my arm.

"When I was still a kid, it seemed like anyone over 20 was instantly old. Past their prime" He rotates his body to face me directly in the eye. "But life is longer than that, my friend. And as you live, you grow and change, like I have." He speaks profoundly. I wonder if this isn't going to be the discussion I thought it would be.

"Knee socks teach us that it's better to keep some things hidden." Nope, it's going to be that type of discussion. I shouldn't have expected anything less.

"You're over knee socks?" I ask him. Surely that must be what he is getting at.

"When things stay unseen, it spurs the imagination to run wild and free! My new desire is to see all that lovely skin covered up!" His new revelation surprises me and I make it clear on my face, raising my eyebrows to show him that. "After all, imagination is proof of life!" I don't share the same philosophy, Haruomi. I believe anything that can respire is alive. "The soft lines of a body hidden beneath tight cloth. Only a glimpse of skin. It's marvellous!" He grunts his words but, honestly and scarily, I can see what he means. I've often had to stop myself from thinking about what all of that clothing hides on a women. Especially a big chested woman in my unit. The other women gives me a clue as to what hides beneath seeing as how she wears very little. Maybe that is why I find Ciel to be more mysterious in the way she always hides her curves. Apart from the ones that she can't hide so obviously, of course. Her boobs.

"Marvellous indeed!" How didn't I see this before? Haruomi is right. It's all about the can envision so many things underneath a woman's clothes, bras, knickers, boob size, whether she's shaven or not, you can imagine all of those. Haruomi, you are a genius!

"Then it's settled." He gets up from his seat. "I'll find us another example of beauty. Be prepared, for this is the true Holy Grail!" With those being his final words to me, he sets off to find our Holy Grail.

I continue sitting on the stool for a few more minutes to debate over what I should do. Eventually, I remember that I still need to pay Licca a visit. I headed over to the God Arc Storage Warehouse where we got to talking and I was, willingly, roped into helping her with the Link Support Device. It was very late when we finished.

"Whew! That wasn't easy, but you held your own." She comments with a large smile on her face. I knew very well that it wasn't easy. Soloing a Borg Camlann will never be easy, no matter how experienced you are as a God Eater. "Hey, what do you think about being a God Eater? Do you like your work?" Her question takes me by surprise. I never really thought about if I like my work. Do I? I was forced to become a God Eater but ended up meeting a lot of good people, including I have been better off staying at Fenrir Headquarters with my Uncle?

"I love it." I hated being inside Fenrir HQ. I would occasionally be escorted outside by other, miserable, God Eaters and never had a lot of fun. The only positive was that I was with my saviour. My Uncle. He's the one who told me about becoming a God Eater and, while I wasn't too happy about it at the time, it turned out to be the best for me.

"I see." I take a drink of the can she bought me while she speaks, "Well, I guess it's different from engineering. You guys didn't really choose to be God Eaters, huh? The test is pushed on you, and then, y'know, there goes your life. Can people truly be happy doing something they're forced into?" She takes a drink so I ask a question for a change.

"Are you happy?"

"Me?" She seems surprised that I would ask. "Yeah. Yeah, I am happy." She says it with such a convincing smile too. "I guess I was meant to do this, but I also really do love it. So... lucky me, right?" She says playfully. "When I was a kid, I played in my dad's lab all the time, my toys were microscopes and rivet guns and tech. I may have grown up, but I'm still that kid whenever I get in a lab. Hahaha!" With that said, we empty our cans and decide to turn in for the night. Today was a nice, relaxing day. One that I don't get many of but I hope that will change soon. I think my team and I deserve a rest.

The next morning, instead of the usual chirpy banter the atmosphere seems solemn. I ask Nana why this is the case.

"Yuno was right to worry." Is everyone depressed because Yuno is? Should I pay her another visit? "I'm concerned about Asuna too. We'll just have to go to Friar ourselves." She suggests but I quickly turn her down.

"How would we do that though? We don't have a good enough reason for that."

"I'm in regular contact with Fran," Ciel chips in and makes herself known to be by my side. She can really be a silent assassin at times. "But not even she can determine the current state of affairs."

"How is Fran?" I ask Ciel, I've never actually contacted her since - well, ever. That's actually pretty sad.

"Fran seems to be extremely stressed herself. What could possibly be happening at Friar?" I must admit, if Ciel is suspicious too, then I am as well. Usually, Ciel can find a good reason for things but I'm beginning to grow worried not only for Asuna, but for Julius and Dr. Rachel. We have no idea what is happening over there.

"We have to cheer Yuno up." I hear Alisa speaking to Kota from beside us, "Kota, you're good at that, right?"

"What?! Even I have my limits! I'm thinking, I'm thinking!" He answers back, worry clearly in his voice. You know what, I'm going to see her.

"Captain Cedrick Esparza to the roof, please! I repeat, Captain Cedrick Esparza to the roof, please!" Well, I'll need to postpone the visit until after the mission.

The mission lasted for an almost the entire day. It was quite a gruelling task, having to locate and kill a Fallen Sariel all by myself. I'll definitely be feeling a lot of pain in the morning. I really despise those creatures! Regardless, time to visit Yuno.

Or at least I would have visited Yuno had Satsuki not been waiting outside of Yuno's room.

"Hey! Captain!" She shouts just to make sure she has my attention. I walk towards her, I didn't really have a lot of choice in the matter. "Do you have a second for the lovely Satsuki?" I turn around and begin heading back. "Huh? It won't take long." She protests. I debate over it before turning back around to see her. I did still want to visit Yuno after all.

"It's about that _thing_ we talked about before. Y'know... _The thing_. That we talked about. Before. I've made some progress." Oh, she must be talking about communicating with Fran. "I really think I'm onto something big here. Much bigger than I expected."

"I'll admit, I'm intrigued." I inform her to which she smiles wider.

"I don't think they're treating the patients that they bring to Friar." She drops a bombshell on me. I open my mouth to speak but she continues, "'How do you know that, Satsuki?!' You may ask. Well, I'll tell you! First, delivery records. Since they closed off Friar they haven't taken on a single pill, potion, or poultice. Second, every doctor and nurse that used to be stationed there has been transferred to HQ or one of the branches." That is very surprising and horrifying. A horrible feeling nestles itself into my gut. "There's not one doctor left on Friar to treat any of the... Wait...No... No, I suppose there are two: Rachel and her sister. But I don't even think they count! What are they doctors of anyway?" Unfortunately for her, I don't even know the answer myself. "Weird, right? Right! They go outta their way to bring on all the contagious plague patients and toss out all the medical teams?" She's got a point. A scary one at that. "I thought maybe it was some political gambit, kinda thing, but it's way too intense for that. Anyway, that's everything I've managed to pick up so far." She finishes her big speech. If Friar wasn't suspicious before, they definitely are now. I wonder if the rest of Blood knows about this.

"Hey, don't tell Yuno, 'kay? I know she seems all demure, but she can be bullheaded, before you know it she'll be leading a charge." I guess I shouldn't tell Yuno then, but she does deserve to know. Anyway, I can't visit her now, there are more important issues like relaying this information to Blood. "Point is, thanks again for your help. I'll keep you updated if I learn anything else." She turns to walk into Yuno's room, giving me a wave but she stops from entering completely.

"Oh, one other thing! Well, you know Fran, the operator that I _interviewed_ over there?" I nod my head and give a roll of my hand, telling her to get on with it. "She wanted off of Friar. She won't say much, but whatever's going on there is really freaking her out. She petitioned Dir. Sakaki and he had her moved out here. She wants to see you guys, so stop by whenever you get the chance." That is some surprising information! As Satsuki walks into Yuno's room, I head for the mission desk. Surely, if Fran's joined the Far East Branch, that's where she will be.

After following Hibari's direction, I head into the lounge where I see my unit huddled around somebody. My only guess is that the person is Fran.

"Good to see you again." Fran notices me join the group and gives a little bow. "I'm working at the Far East Branch as of today. I'll continue to assist you as an operator." I give her a nod back before asking my own questions.

"What's Friar's situation?" Don;t get me wrong, it's nice to see Fran again but there are more pressing matters.

"I'm sorry, but I don't know. Almost all the information is classified. Satsuki probably told you everything I know. Anything more than that is a mystery."  
"Wait, what's going on?" Gilbert, being right next to me and hearing the conversation, speaks up about his confusion. Soon, Nana and Ciel also express theirs. I look to Fran and opt to explain it to them.

Five minutes later, and they have all been briefed and expressed their concerns. Right now, the only thought going through everyone's heads is to get to Friar. However, it would have to be tomorrow as it is very late. We all split off to go to our rooms. Before going to sleep though, I make sure that I check my emails. I don't know why, but I hope somebody from Friar has tried to contact me. Julius, Dr. Rachel, anyone. The first email I see was sent from Fran yesterday, while she was still a staff member on Friar, telling me about how the transfer to the Far East Branch is almost complete. It is the next email though that wells up my emotional side. An email from Dr. Leah sent a few seconds ago. There was no message. The subject of the email contained only two words, but these words sent a bone tingling chill throughout my entire body.

 _Help me_


	58. Chapter 58 - The only survivor

Chapter 58

DISCLAIMER: I DO NOT OWN THE GOD EATER FRANCHISE HOWEVER I DO OWN MY OC.

Also, please leave a review!

Name: Cedrick Esparza

Gender: Male

Hairstyle: Style 7 (Dark Brown)

God Arc: Paige Blaze (Short Blade), Sniper P (Sniper Rifle), Kurogane Tower A (Shield)

Blood Art: Killer Bee Stab I

"There are reports that a passenger car passing through the Old City has encountered Aragami. The rescue beacon cut out near the Old City Park. The Research Unit has no yet confirmed their safety. Once you've destroyed the Aragami, rendezvous with the Research Unit and rescue any survivors." Hibari finishes filling us in.

"Blood, move out!" I command as soon as the briefing was finished. There's no time to waste so we immediately head to a helicopter on the roof and inform the pilot of our destination.

The helicopter takes off and we talk about the mission plan while up there.

"I think splitting off into two groups will work again. What do you all think?" Gilbert and Ciel nod their heads while Nana prefers to answer more verbally,

"Yep!"

"In that case, Nana, you're with me. Ciel, Gilbert, you two will take the Fallen Kongou." I give out the orders and they confirm their stance with them with a simple nod of the head. "By the way guys, in an unrelated topic," I begin, sitting back on my seat and pausing for dramatic effect, "I received an email from Dr. Leah."

"You did?" Nana asks incredulously.

"What did it say?" Ciel's curiosity makes itself known.

"Did she say anything about what was happening on Friar?" Gilbert attempts to guess what was included in the email.

"No, nothing like that, Gil. It said 'help me'." I observe their reactions and they all seem to have the same reaction as I had. A cold chill going up my spine as I repeated those words. "There's something very fishy going on at Friar."

Landing on the ground, Nana and I head towards where the Yaksha was last seen while Ciel and Gilbert travel to where they had saw the Fallen Kongou from overhead. It doesn't take long before Nana and I do find the Yaksha and begin our fight.

I repeatedly pierce the tall enemy's legs with Nana chipping in to help me. After every hit or so, we are forced to roll to the side as the Yaksha shoots a beam into the air which would fall right at its feet, where we would be. If it didn't do that, it would shoot an orb of pink light from its gun-like arm and aim towards its feet. We manage to evade these attacks pretty easily. After a few minutes of repeating the same process, I can begin to calculate how much time we have before the beam attack will hit us. It seems like we can continue attacking for another second or so before being forced to evade or risk injuring ourselves.

Thus, every time I attack its legs and it responds by launching a beam upwards, I know I can continue attacking for another second or so. Using this knowledge, I can get two more attacks in. Thankfully, after every three sets of doing so, the Yaksha falls to its feet where Nana and I can attack its head.

"Nice work, Nana!" I shout as we manage to unbind its head. I go in for another strike before something out of the corner of my eye makes me jump up, "Evade, Nana!" She listens obediently and jumps up like I do. It's a matter of moments later before a ball of ice collides with the Yaksha.

"I thought you had found the Fallen Kongou!" I shout through my headset to Gilbert and Ciel, narrowly avoiding the Aragami's rolling attack before I notice that I had moved into a pink circle around the floor. "Shit." I speak before feeling a hot beam shoot down from above and make an impact on the ground. Luckily I wasn't in the epicentre, but I was still injured from the attack.

"We have! We're fighting it right now!" I hear Gilbert shout in a panic through my earpiece.

"Shit! There must be more than one!" I commune back before dropping the line. "Nana, fight the Fallen Kongou! Your crushing attacks should inflict more damage!" I command her.

"Aye aye,Cap'n!" She runs away from the Yaksha and I take her place. I continue my onslaught of attacks on its legs until it stumbles and I attack its head again.

"Cedrick, look out!" I hear Nana shout and turn around, just in time to see the Fallen Kongou inches away from me. Within the blink of an eye, it barrels into me and brings me to the ground. It feels as though my ribs are crushed as the beast continues rolling along the path but I can still move, ruling out broken ribs.

"They're probably bruised." I whisper to myself before looking where the Fallen Kongou had stopped. It was about ten metres away from me and even less from Nana as she sprints by me.

"The Yaksha is escaping!" She shouts as she rushes by me and I look to where I left the Yaksha. It was no longer there. I frantically look around before I see it crawling into a building via an opening through the wall. I sneak over to it, making sure to move quietly in order to get the jump on it.

Moments later, I use my Arc to devour the Aragami, killing it and harvesting its materials. I look back to Nana to see that another Yaksha has entered the battle and she seems to be defending herself pretty well.

"I'll take the Yaksha!" I shout to Nana and attract the Yaksha's attention by stabbing it with my Arc in the legs repeatedly, just like I did with the defeated Yaksha. As I attack and evade with the same tactics, I realise that I haven't used my Arc's Gun Form in the fight yet. I quickly change that by shooting the beast a few times in the midriff, breaking the beast's claw bonds as it tries to defend itself. With my new target being its claws, I jump and slash my Arc against its claws to inflict more damage.

It isn't much longer that the Yaksha falls at my feet. I devour its core and harvest its materials before looking over to Nana. She does the same as me, having defeated the Fallen Kongou. With our targets being defeated, we decide to look for any sign of the passenger car. We begin by checking for wheel tracks on the dirt and eventually find some tracks near the outskirts of the Old City and leading towards the Abandoned City.

"Are you two finished?" I connect a communication line between Ciel, Gilbert and I.

"Can you give us a hand?" I hear Gilbert respond.

"Where are you?" I ask and while waiting for an answer, fill Nana in on our next job to defeat the Aragami that Ciel and Gilbert set out to do.

"Inside the Chapel. Hurry it up!" He shouts in a panic and Nana and I begin running over to there.

"It will take a few minutes. Why doesn't Ciel answer?" I say in between my laboured breathing.

"..." I don't get a response I try to ask again but am met with the same answer.

"Nana, prepare medical supplies." I inform her, running by my side.

"What? Why?"

"I'm not getting an answer from Gilbert or Ciel. Worst case scenario... Just prepare the supplies." I couldn't bring myself to say that they could possibly be dead. Weren't they only fighting one Aragami? There's no way that they were defeated by one Fallen Kongou...

It turns out that I was right. Running into the Chapel, we don't see any Aragami. What we do see though, are the bodies of our team mates... Running to Ciel's side, I press an ear to her chest to hear if she is still breathing. My face heats up slightly as I am well aware that my ear is touching her boobs, but it is for the greater good. I give a sigh of relief and lift my head up once I've confirmed that she's still breathing. I look over to Nana who had ran over to Gilbert and done the same thing.

"He's breathing. What about Ciel?" She speaks in a voice barely above a whisper.

"She's breathing too." I look between the three of them to think of what to do next.

It takes a few seconds for me to make up my mind.

"Nana, stay with them and try to make them conscious. I'm going to find the Aragami and finish it off."

"Will you be able to though? I mean, if Gil and Ciel had difficulty..."

"I'll be fine, Nana. I am Captain of Blood, after all." I give her a smile and wait to see one on her face before I set off.

"Oh," I come to a stop, "If they're not conscious in five minutes, call for a medical helicopter to pick them up." I tell her before running out of the Chapel.

A few minutes of searching later, I find the beast. It walks with a limp into the outskirts of the Abandoned City. I change my Arc to Gun Form and fire three bullets at it and it falls to the ground, breathing heavily. I swipe and slash at the unbound pipes on its back then devour it as it stops breathing.

"That wasn't very hard..." I say in confusion and turn back to where I came from. In my distraction of finding the beast, I had completely missed an abandoned passenger car along the path.

"Is this the car that was reported to have sent out that rescue beacon?" I ask myself and move to the drivers seat. In the seat, was the remains of the driver. He hadn't made it. Neither had the passenger.

"I wonder if there's any supplies in the back." I speak aloud.

"Hello?" A muffled voice comes from within the passenger car. Actually, it's more like a van. I go to the back of the van and open the doors. It is there that I am met with an unexpected sight. Reddish hair hangs over the woman's face but it's the attire that gave away the woman's identity. A white, long sleeved coat over a grey and black shirt with a matching skirt.

"Dr. Leah?" I speak in disbelief and hop into the van, moving over to her prone form and cradling her. "Dr. Leah!" I speak louder, grabbing the woman's attention as her eyes flicker open and up to me.

"Cedrick?" Her eyes flutter more until they stop and stare at me. After an uncomfortable silence, she smiles. "Y-You... found me."

"You're injured." I make the obvious observation. It looked as though she wasn't in the best of states. While nothing looked broken, there could be more damage internally.

"Stay here. I'm going to contact Friar." I speak in slight alarm but when she suddenly cradles my neck, rests her head against my chest and pleads for me not to, I decide to listen to her.

"Take me to the Director of the Far East Branch... Please, I-I request asylum as a Fenrir Executive."

"What happened?" I ask her.

"I- I'll tell you soon. Where are your team mates?" She enquires with a bit of confusion. I blink my eyes in confusion as well before realising that I had left them back in the Old City. I scoop Dr. Leah into my arms and beginning a brisk walk back to them, making sure to call for a medical helicopter along the way.

Re-entering the Chapel, I am met with the surprised faces of my entire squad; meaning that Nana was able to make them regain their consciousness.

"Dr. Leah?" Ciel speaks in disbelief. I would silence them but the sound of a helicopter approaching does that for me.

"What? I never called for a helicopter?" Nana asks in confusion.

"I did. Dr. Leah, here." I move my arms upwards to get a better hold of the, what I now realise to be an, unconscious doctor in my arms. "Needs medical attention. She is the only survivor of the passenger car that called for our help." I fill them in on the details before turning around and walking out of the Chapel, my team following us.

After getting Dr. Leah onto the medical helicopter as well as my team, we set off back to the Far East.

"By the way, Ciel, Gilbert," I speak their names to grab their attention, using my best commanding voice, "I am very disappointed..."


	59. Chapter 59 - A scolding and news

Chapter 59

DISCLAIMER: I DO NOT OWN THE GOD EATER FRANCHISE HOWEVER I DO OWN MY OC.

Also, please leave a review!

Name: Cedrick Esparza  
Gender: Male  
Hairstyle: Style 7 (Dark Brown)  
God Arc: Paige Blaze (Short Blade), Sniper P (Sniper Rifle), Kurogane Tower A (Shield) 

Arriving back at the Far East Branch, getting Dr. Leah to the infirmary was our first priority. As much as we would have liked to help, however, the medical team was quick to refuse us. Ultimately, the four of us were left looking on in worry. As we did so, I remember that I still had a job to do as Captain.

"Nana," I speak her name, turning to her as I do so, well aware of my unit's stares directed at me. "Go on ahead and buy yourself as much food as you want from Mutsumi." Her eyes light up at the mention of food. "I'll pay for it."

"Really?" Her smile made me smile and I nod my head to confirm my words. "Thanks, Cap, I'm gonna order a bunch!" She ran towards the lift to take her to the lounge where Mutsumi usually is. I reminded myself that I never really rewarded anybody for a job well done after a mission, so this was a good time to start doing so. The three of us look on as she runs to the lift.

"What's with your sudden generosity?" Ciel asks with what I think is jealousy in her voice. My smile drops as soon as I hear Ciel speak though and as soon as Nana and the lift have left this floor, I turn towards them.

"I figured that I should reward her for such a good job out there." I comment with a snide smile before I decide to address why they aren't being rewarded. "You were pitted against one Fallen Kongou… What the hell happened for the both of you to be knocked out like that?" I can hear the anger in my voice, but I try my best to make my tone a commanding one.

"It was going well at first…" Ciel starts the explanation.

"But then the Kongou started lashing out wildly. It never stuck to an attack pattern…" Gilbert picks up where Ciel trails off, the latter of which looking to the side and not wanting to face me as she speaks. Gilbert, on the other hand, has no issue telling me what happened.

"God Eaters are supposed to be prepared for the unexpected. Gilbert, you can't tell me that, with your experience, you didn't know how to handle that situation." I interrupt him and stop him from speaking. I don't even allow him to retort as I turn to the woman in front of me that still doesn't want to look at me in the face. "And as for you." I don't even say her name as she knows I'm talking to her. "Is this what you were like when you had to answer to your instructors during your training? One little criticism and you turn away and pretend that you can't see the person in charge?" The woman I speak to tightens her grip on her arm, still not facing towards me. Honestly, I don't like to see her like this. "Both of you, listen," I calm myself down slightly but still take on a commanding tone, "Like I said earlier, I need to start rewarding a good attitude to work, but that also means to start disciplining those that disappoint me. You two happened to be the first people that disappointed me on a mission. I mean, honestly, Nana and I fought two Yaksha _and_ a Fallen Kongou. Meanwhile, you two couldn't handle just one Fallen Kongou." I give a disappointed sigh. "I suggest that after you two have had something to eat, you go to the training simulator and practice." Knowing that my lecture was over, Gilbert quickly strode towards the lift without a word. I have no doubt that he is calling me numerous names in his head, but he must know that I am disappointed with his efforts today. Ciel soon follows him, again not looking in my direction as she passes me.

"Don't make me out to be the bad guy here, guys." I speak as they ive me the silent treatment and walk away. With another sigh, I head over to the lift where they've kindly waited for me to enter before the lift descends to a lower floor. I should say that the ride was silent and awkward.

0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0

It has been three days since Dr. Leah has been hospitalised and I had given Ciel and Gilbert a berating, and with each day that passed, Dr. Leah has been informing us of what has been happening. On the first day, Ciel, still on looking at me, had told me about Dr. Leah wanting to speak with us. I headed to her room and found her sitting on a hospital bed. Ciel and I waited until Dr. Leah collected her thoughts, so we could listen to what she had to say.

"I'm so sorry for all this." She started.

"We're just glad you're going to make a full recovery. Although, Dr. Leah…" Ciel was the one to reply.

"Please, stop, Ciel." I found Dr. Leah's pained expression to be curious, no doubt that Ciel also thought that. "I don't deserve to be called a doctor. All of this is because of me."

"Please tell u what's happening on Friar. What are Dr. Rachel and Julius doing?" Ciel carries the conversation along.

"You know about Julius, Rachel and the God Arc Soldiers, I assume? Friar is theirs now. They didn't send anyone after me when I fled, I was attacked by Aragami. Thanks to you, I made it." As Dr. Leah explains, I look to Ciel with a less than pleased face. I'm sure she feels my stare, but she doesn't look in my direction, something which I had grown used to by that time.

Over the next few days, Dr. Leah would come to explain that it is her fault that Dr. Rachel is what she is now. She explained about how she pushed Rachel down the stairs when they were very young because they were arguing about a doll and how Rachel was in a fatal condition. When her father was offered a solution, he took it and Leah became a servant of Rachel for her repentance. She then explained about how Rachel killed their father with an Aragami that Rachel referred to as a doll and how Rachel intended to create a lot more dolls. I must admit that I admire Dr. Leah for her loyalty to her sister after that, but it is also quite sickening to know that she was with her at the time. It's also sickening to know that Rachel was and always has been, in lack of better words, a bitch. She never once seemed like that to me. She was like the mother I had grown up without. It doesn't make sense that she is some heartless woman. I didn't hesitate voicing this to Leah to which she replied that it was just a mask that Rachel had to wear to get people to trust her. Hearing it from Rachel's own sister makes it hard for me not to trust what she says, despite how much I wish it wasn't true. As well as that though, she also informed us that the power for the God Arc Soldiers is coming from the Black Plague victims. Immediately after the meeting with Dr. Leah was over, I relayed the information to Director Sakaki. Now, it is only a matter of hours before we undergo an operation to rescue the Black Plague victims.


	60. Chapter 60 - Friar Infiltration - Part 1

Chapter 60

DISCLAIMER: I DO NOT OWN THE GOD EATER FRANCHISE HOWEVER I DO OWN MY OC.

Also, please leave a review!

Name: Cedrick Esparza  
Gender: Male  
Hairstyle: Style 7 (Dark Brown)  
God Arc: Paige Blaze (Short Blade), Sniper P (Sniper Rifle), Kurogane Tower A (Shield) 

"The plan to infiltrate Friar has been drafted. There could be some surprises. Plan your loadout around defensive equipment. Move out once you're ready for anything." Hibari gives us a little mission briefing. The plan was to sneak inside Friar and get all of the Black Plague sufferers out of there as they are the main source of energy for the God Arc Soldiers. Take away the power and we take away the soldiers, leaving us with Julius and Dr. Rachel. According to the testimony of an eyewitness, previously working aboard Friar, inhumane experiments have been carried out on these sufferers; yet another reason to rescue the patients. It will be my Unit's job to defeat all obstacles in the way of removing the patients. Most likely, we will face the God Arc Soldiers.

"Is everyone prepared?" I ask my squad.

"Yep!/ Yes!" Were the collective responses.

"Let's move out!" I give a commanding shout and the three of them walk to the Den Gate. Travelling by helicopter to Friar is too risky, so we have to settle with walking there. It should take us approximately thirty minutes to walk there, but we'll have back up helicopters waiting for us at set locations to help evacuate the patients. I do a quick job to catch up to my team. "If this mission goes off without a hitch, you'll all be getting rewarded!" I try to motivate them further. I know that my scolding to Ciel and Gilbert must still be lingering on their minds. I've made it my one rule when out on the battlefield – Don't disappoint me.

"Hold on!" We hear a shout and come to a stop. We're all reasonably surprised to see Yuno following us.

"Yuno? What are you doing out here?" Nana speaks the question on all of our minds.

"I've heard what they've been doing on Friar and it sickens me. Just the thought that they've been experimenting on Asuna and the others…" Oh yeah, I forgot that Yuno had an attachment with one of the patients: a young girl named Asuna. "I don't know why Julius is doing this. Is this his true nature?" She didn't really seem to be asking us, just trying to give us a reason as to why she should come with us.

"Yuno," I speak up to make her pay attention to me, "without a God Arc, you are defenceless. What would happen if we encounter an Aragami along the way?" I ask her.

"But we can just go on one of the helicopters that haven't left yet. I can wait inside the helicopter until all of the Aragami in the area are gone!" She sounds desperate.

"Don't you think it will be too risky to land a helicopter near Friar. It is supposed to be a surprise attack."

"Then I can just walk with you!" She walks closer to me and cements herself into the middle of the group. "We can walk there like this! That will work, right?" I can hear the desperation in her voice, but it is still too dangerous.

"Look, Yuno…"

"Captain, I think we should let her come with us." I turn to Ciel as she speaks. I can tell by the look on her face that she has been convinced either by Yuno's passion or her stupidity.

"Yeah, I think so too. Don't forget that Asuna is in there." Nana makes herself heard. I turn to Gilbert to hear his thoughts.

"I do think it is dangerous. If anything happens, we shouldn't be held accountable." With Gilbert reluctantly allowing Yuno to come with us, I give a sigh.

"It looks like you can come with us."

"Really? Thank you-"

"But do not leave from this position. Understand?" If she wanted to come with us, then there has to be terms. "There'd be a lot of people I'd get into trouble with if you didn't come back alive." Her manager for one. She can be scary at times. I'd imagine it would be even worse if she were to rip into me for letting Yuno get hurt.

"Oh, don't worry about Satsuki." Yuno seems to read my mind and I look back at her with a slightly shocked face. "She's the one who suggested I go with you." Well, if her manager is fine with letting her come with us, then I suppose I should let her.

"Okay, let's continue." With an addition to the team, we continue walking to Friar.

Luck must have been on our side, as we manage to walk to Friar without encountering an Aragami, and we even manage to sneak into Friar without detection…

"God Arc Soldier Automated Control active. Defensive sequence omega has been triggered." A loud voice booms over the speakers and I find myself regretting the thought of having luck on our side. Regardless of the voice, we continue walking through a room filled with what look to be unclean vending machines with no options on them. "Entry to unauthorised personnel is forbidden. For your own safety, please move t least 300 metres away from the facility." I almost feel like laughing at the pathetic warning given out, especially after hearing that Friar has been conducting experiments on patients. "Repeating warning…"

"What is this place?" Ciel asks the question I'm sure we're all thinking as she leads the pack.

"It's… horrible." Nana sounds very dejected as she chimes in. I don't stop walking as they speak but eventually find the need to as I stop next to one of the pods. I raise my hand to the pod in an effort to release the person inside, which I now know to be Asuna, but a loud, recognisable voice halts me.

"Stop! That is forbidden."

"Julius!" Gilbert gives an angry shout, saving me the effort of doing so.

"Julius, what's going on? What… What is all this?" Ciel asks with sadness lacing her every word. Sadness as well as confusion.

"There is no explanation I can give. Retreat to the Far East Branch." Julius attempts to make us leave. I open my mouth to speak up, but our guest is quicker than I am.

"No, Julius. We won't leave without you. This has to be exposed. This evil. This insanity!" The anger in Yuno's voice only increases as she starts her desperate plea. "Everyone will know of what's happening here! This horror must stop. Please!" She holds a hand to her chest in an attempt to calm herself. It doesn't help her in the slightest. "You tried so hard to support the patients at the satellite base. Was all that just a lie? You fought gallantly beside Blood and the Far East God Eaters. Was that not the real you?" Any effect Yuno wished her words had on Julius proved to be just false hope with his next words.

"This is your final warning. Leave thi—"

"Why, Julius?! Why are you doing something like this? …Have you nothing to say to us?" As Yuno continues to try and break through to Julius, I find myself with a lot of time to think. Personally, I believe what Julius is doing to be wrong. There's no possible way that this is what he wants either.

"Julius! We know of your intention of protecting your friends: protecting us. But surely you know that this is wrong. None of us want to be protected by you if this is what you have to resort to." I try to muster up venom in my voice to express my disgust with his actions, but against my former commander, I can do no such thing. Instead, I sound just as hopeless as Yuno as she continues, seeing that I have stopped.

"Why are you trying to carry this by yourself? We know the sorrow you feel. You're not alone!" Again, none of our words have the desired effect.

"Fine… if you will not leave, I cannot force you, even with the might of all Fenrir brought to bear against you. But know this, if you continue… I cannot promise that you will have another chance to leave this place alive. Go, please." Julius' own plea is the last thing we hear before the door in front of us opens to reveal a God Arc Soldier ready to fight us.

"God Arc Soldiers!" Nana points out the new threat too our lives.

"Captain, we must stop them here!" Ciel speaks as she readies her Gun Form God Arc. She opens fire as I sprint towards the metal foe, ignoring the incessant warning being played through the speakers. I jump up slightly to slash the beast in the chest, before I jump backwards just in time for Nana to smash her hammer down on the enemy's head. Nana and I rush forward.

"Gil!" Ciel speaks up and receives a quick reply from the person she was addressing.

"On it." The two of them sprint with Nana and I, leaving Yuno inside the bay we were once in so she can help the Black Plague patients. With quick thinking, Ciel turns around on her heels to fire a bullet just above the inactive God Arc Soldier to make the ceiling crumble down to the ground, crushing the foe as she does so.

"Further hostile actions have been detected. All intruders will now be eliminated."

"Yuno, let's begin!" Ciel gives the command.

"Satsuki! Can you hear us?"

"I'm here. What now?" Yuno's manager replies to her call.

"We'll follow the plan and evacuate the patients. Break through!" Yuno gives her own command, seemingly the one put in charge of the evacuation. I do have to say that there is no better pick than her. "Everyone, please. I need you now. More than ever before.


	61. Chapter 61 - Friar Infiltration - Part 2

Chapter 61

DISCLAIMER: I DO NOT OWN THE GOD EATER FRANCHISE HOWEVER I DO OWN MY OC.

Also, please leave a review!

Name: Cedrick Esparza  
Gender: Male  
Hairstyle: Style 7 (Dark Brown)  
God Arc: Paige Blaze (Short Blade), Sniper P (Sniper Rifle), Kurogane Tower A (Shield)  
Blood Art: Fatal Riser IV

The four of us continue our run after Ciel unloaded a bullet to crush the first God Arc Soldier we encountered. It doesn't take us a long time before we reach, what I assume to be, the God Arc Soldier Warehouse. This room is very large and holds large pods within it. They're significantly bigger than the pods carrying the Black Plague patients and there are a lot of them. Oh shit, one of them is opening. We stop our running as a God Arc Soldier makes its way towards us, swinging its blade around wildly as it does so.

"Prepare for battle, guys!" I shout my instruction to my team mates as I take up a battle-ready stance. I hear them take their stances but keep my focus on the Soldier quickly shortening the ten metres distance between us. I change my Arc to Gun Form and fire three Blaze bullets in its direction. Only one of them hits but it manages to stop the remote-controlled metal in its tracks.

"Nana, work on the defence. Gilbert, Ciel and I will use our Arcs' Melee Forms." I command, much to the dismay of the girl involved.

"What?! I'm no good at providing backup!"

"Then it's about time you learned." I reply quickly, ready for her refusal to do the support work. I ignore her continued protests as I address the two that will be on my team. "I want a better performance than last time. You've had enough of a break these past few days, but I hope you've been training." I comment on the lack of a mission due to needing to learn information from Dr. Leah. "Gilbert, you strike its back, Ciel: the arms. I'll go for its legs." I give out the commands before taking the lead as I run towards the Soldier that climbs back to its feet. It isn't long before those two overtake me.

Ignoring the surrounding area, Gilbert, Ciel and I come to a stop in the centre of the platform where the God Arc Soldier launches forward with its sword resting on its shoulders, slamming it downwards as it closes in on us. We easily avoid the attack, I side step it and immediately slash at its legs. Honestly, it doesn't look like it was very effective, but it still left a decent sized mark.

"It's going to swing it!" Nana shouts back from her supporting role and I turn my head to see its sword approaching me at an alarming speed. I manage to dodge it by leaping closer to the Solider and look at the Soldier to make sure I won't be hit by its large frame. The thing about this enemy is that I don't have to worry about being eaten. So as long as I don't get hit, it should be fine. Thankfully, my reasoning was correct as the Soldier didn't hit me and, judging by the fact that I didn't hear any pained screams, it didn't hit my team mates either. I move away from the metal figure as the attack fades and slash at its legs again. It is only a few seconds later when I hear a break in the beast's armour, but it wasn't due to my slashes. It looks like Gilbert managed to break the pod on its back, and it looks to be a weak spot judging by the waves of anger from this non-sentient chunk of metal.

"Nice job, Gilbert! Keep it up!" I shout my praise for his efforts. It took the failure of two squad members before I realised that I should reward good effort and discipline bad effort. In a way, I'm thankful to Gilbert and Ciel for making me realise this. It's one of the things that is needed when you're a Captain.

"You can thank me later. Focus on the task at hand." He replies, I have no doubt that he said that because he doesn't know how to handle the praise. It's new to him as well as me. Regardless, I've praised him, now it is time to continue with the fight. The Soldier appears to be enraged so I decide to hang back and use my gun to fire at it while it uncontrollably wreaks havoc on the platform.

"More are joining us guys!" Nana shouts, coming to my side as two more God Arc Soldiers appear from where she was previously standing.

"Split up! Don't let yourself get cornered!" I shout my instructions to the group. We have no idea how much God Arc Soldiers are actually in the warehouse t I'd imagine there'd be a lot. Therefore, it's best not to let yourself get surrounded.

0-0-0-0-0

Remarkably, after five minutes of fighting and defeating around ten God Arc Soldiers each, we've whittled the number down to the last two: and I am exhausted. My legs feel like they've doubled in weight and feel very numb. My right arm feels very stretched after having to swing my Arc around numerous times. My chest feels very tight from my erratic breathing. We should only have to hold out for a little longer though.

"Only two more left, guys!" I manage to shout between breaths. I'm very conscious of my panting, but I refuse to let my team mates see me in a tired state and force myself to carry on. I look towards my team mates who currently have the two remaining Soldiers locked into battle. They don't look tired at all, and seem to be jumping around them with ease. Honestly, I feel terrible that I am so tired. I run to my team mates despite my legs' protests.

Reaching the closest Soldier, I attack swing my Arc at its legs. The momentum from my run to the Soldier carries through my Arc and makes remote-controlled metal fall to the ground in a slump. It still isn't dead however, and I swing my Arc at the area connecting the head with the body, decapitating it and rendering it dead. Or should I say defeated since these aren't sentient beings. They're just metal with circuit boards which receives instructions to fight. At least, that's what I think an unmanned God Arc Soldier is. Regardless, one down, one more to go.

It takes another solid thirty seconds of fighting before the last Soldier falls to the ground.

"The God Arc Soldiers have all been destroyed. We're ready to fall back at your command." Ciel gives Satsuki an update on our progress. I notice that she doesn't manage to get it all out in one breath though. She pants slightly. I look to the others to see that they're in a similar shape to me; panting openly. Whether this means that Ciel is fitter than us, or she didn't put in all the effort that she could no longer matters. As long as I know that I'm not the only one who is exhausted from this ordeal.

"Is everyone all right? We'll be right behind you, Blood. Yuno, come on we have to go!" Satsuki replies, I'm sure that the last sentence wasn't meant to be for us but Satsuki must have forgotten to switch off her receiver or she want us to hear what's happening.

"Wait! There's someone still here." I hear Yuno reply back to her manager, slightly out of breath. "A-Asuna?" I hear Yuno question call the name of her friend.

"Yuno! Behind you!" Satsuki's shout almost deafens me and, without warning my team mates, I sprint around the facility in an attempt to reach the other side of the facility were Yuno and the Black Plague patients are. It doesn't take long before I hear more footsteps follow my own. I hear Yuno's voice through my receiver but can't make sense of what she said. Judging by Satsuki's worried shout through, I imagine that they're in trouble.

"Yuno? Repeat that last transmission! YUNO!" Ciel shouts in worry, but continues running along side us.

"We're okay. I've got Asuna. I'll protect her. We're gonna make it out of here!" Yuno responds and it is clear that something is wrong. From somewhere within me, I find the energy to break out into a full pace sprint. Within seconds, I find myself slashing the door open and seeing a God Arc Soldier causing trouble for Yuno and Satsuki. Without a second thought, I jump and slash the Soldier in its back. It only takes a few more seconds before Nana hits the same spot. Another few seconds later, Gilbert jabs his spear into its back, disassembling the metal as it falls to the ground. We check that the Soldier is truly down and out before turning to Yuno who clutches Asuna in her arms.

"Yuno! Are you all right?!" Satsuki kneel beside her. I walk closer to them, by this point, Ciel has caught up with us.

"I'm okay. Let's hurry, we have to get Asuna out of here." Yuno responds to her manager. It looks as though everyone apart from us has evacuated.

"Right! I'll go get some help. Stay here!" She gets up and begins to run away. I go to place my hand on Yuno who notices this and loudly shouts,

"Stop!" The sudden distress of her client makes Satsuki turn back to her with a questioning glance.

"Yuno?" Her manager speaks and, honestly, I feel kind of hurt that she doesn't want me to touch her.

"I… I my have contracted the plague by… Pleae, everyone, stay back. Don't touch me." It seems to break her heart as she gives her explanation. I can hear the fear and worry in her voice, not only for herself but for Asuna too.

"Yuno?!" Nana expresses her concern. I don't understand why Yuno wouldn't want me to touch her though, I wear gloves on my hands and I have long sleeves. The only part of me that isn't covered by material is my neck and the rest of my head – seeing as how I've only the one eye, with the other one covered in a large eyepatch. Thankfully, my hair covers most of it. So unless Yuno knows something about the spreading of the plague through clothes, then there nothing to - wait. Is she worried that if I were to come into contact with her, then the Black Plague would spread to my clothes? Then after that, that article of clothing could come into contact with my skin… I get it now. Good thinking, Yuno.

"Listen, we can't know for sure until we run some tests. Right now, we need to focus on getting out of here. Let's move." Ciel provides some support for those worried; admittedly, that includes myself, but she also gave out the instruction to move. One which I need to get behind.

"You're right. Thank you, all of you!" Yuno gets to her feet but she hasn't finished singing everyone' praises yet. "Without you we couldn't have… s-saved…" She appears to be becoming more and more breathless with every word. "every… one…" She only just manages to finish her sentence before she begins falling to the ground. Despite what she said before about touching her, I find myself breaking her fall as I take her into my arms while Yuno still clutches Asuna. I hate to admit it, but the combined weight of my Arc and the two girls is a hell of a lot! Nevertheless, I manage to keep them all within my grip whilst making sure I am not directly touching Yuno or Asuna.

"Yuno?! Yuno! We need to get her out of here! C'mon" Everyone, hurry!" Satsuki runs ahead after her little outburst. Most likely to prepare us with some transport to get back to the Far East Branch.

"Captain! Will you be infected now?" Ciel rushes over to me as soon as she makes light of the situation. Her very words seem to shock Gilbert and Nana to the core as the former looks away while the latter holds her hands over her face.

"No. I shouldn't be." I say between breaths, struggling with the two girls and my Arc within my arms. "As long as I don't directly touch her, I should be fine." I struggle to say as we continue at a pace slightly faster than fast walking. "However, I will need to burn these clothes as they'll be riddled with the disease, so don't touch me." I speak because I feel a hand hovering over my back. I have a feeling that the hand belongs to one of the girls, but that doesn't really matter. What is important is that they don't touch me. That also means that I'm going to have to craft some new clothes. I just hope I have the materials.

A/N: I don't really have an attire in mind. Feel free to suggest an attire.


	62. Chapter 62 - This and that

Chapter 62

DISCLAIMER: I DO NOT OWN THE GOD EATER FRANCHISE HOWEVER I DO OWN MY OC.

Also, please leave a review!

Name: Cedrick Esparza  
Gender: Male  
Hairstyle: Style 7 (Dark Brown)  
God Arc: Paige Blaze (Short Blade), Sniper P (Sniper Rifle), Kurogane Tower A (Shield)  
Blood Art: Fatal Riser IV

As soon as we arrived back at the Far East Branch, Director Sakaki demanded a summary of what happened while Yuno and Asuna were sent to the infirmary; again, used as a place to treat all of the Black Plague patients, like before they were sent to Friar. After he had heard what happened, I was quarantined immediately, seeing as how my clothes were contaminated with the Black Plague. After being quarantined, I was forced to give a blood test. The events of that were not very appealing. My unit was forced to look on in horror as I was contained. Thankfully though, the results confirmed that I was not infected, but to be safe, my clothes needed incinerating. Then after being on the receiving end of multiple laughs for walking around the Den almost completely naked, Licca provided me with some spare clothes. So, at this moment in time, I'm being forced to try them all on inside my room. It isn't too bad though as Ciel offered to help me pick out a good set of clothes…

"Thanks for helping me out, Ciel." I comment as I work my right leg through the first trouser leg.

"It's no problem at all, Cedrick." I look at Ciel as she comments and notice a small smile on her face. She doesn't look me in the eye as she speaks. She appears to be looking further down than I particularly want her to. I stop myself from falling after dropping the other trouser leg out of embarrassment from where she is staring. I pick it straight back up and manage to slip them on though. Maybe I will turn away from her as I get changed next time. With the trousers on, I pick up the jacket and put that on.

"Y'know, I really don't think this suits me." I comment nervously. There is no mirror in this part of my room, so I can't see how it looks, but the fact that the jacket is too small as well as the fact that it can't be closed is really unnerving.

"That's a shame. I thought you'd look good with your upper body more exposed." Ciel's smile had grown wider than before and she appeared to be making a square with two fingers on each hand, almost like she were taking a photograph.

"Yeah… this isn't what I'm looking for." I quickly take off the jacket and trousers, taking extra care with the latter so that I don't remove my underwear.

"I'll prepare the next outfit then." She speaks cheerfully, something which I comment on.

"You seem very excited about this. Have you been waiting for a chance to see me without clothes on?" I ask jokingly but immediately follow it up due to my own nervousness, "or did you hate my previous outfit?" I take the time to view her reaction., although it is very difficult when she is facing away from me. I do notice that her arms are no longer sifting through the clothes on my bed though and she seems to hunch over slightly.

"No." It was a sad voice that replied which I really didn't expect. "It's my first time doing something like this with a friend." She turns around and clutches the chest area of her clothes. "Is it wrong to be excited?" The smile that was on her face has been replaced with a frown and her eyeslids seem to flutter more than regularly.

"Of course it isn't wrong to be excited." I hurriedly speak to quell her worries. "It's just, I'm a little nervous to be undressing and dressing in front of another person. What's worse is if that person is a member of the opposite sex…" I scratch my head nervously and try not to look directly at her as I speak, although she is still within my vision. She appears to think over what I say before turning her head back to the clothing on the bed at a pace that should leave her with a feeling of dizziness. Regardless, she hands me another set of clothes.

As I put these clothes on, I find myself looking over to Ciel every so often. I see that she has taken to covering her eyes with her hands. I breathe a sigh of relief as I can feel a problem already coming up. The trousers are too tight, so I'm forced to move my genitalia out of the way. I look back to Ciel and, to my dismay, I see a gap between her fingers. I really hope that she never saw me do that. Regardless, now that the trousers cover my genitalia, I can pull them up properly. With that sorted, I pick up the upper half of the attire. First, a simple, white, button-up shirt which I put on without any difficulty. Next, a red tie which is just as easy as the shirt, then a grey, sleeveless jacket which I button up easily. I look back to Ciel to tell her I'm done, only to see that the gap between her fingers has extended.

"Is there any point in covering your eyes if you're going to stare anyway?" I ask, catching her out. She closes the gap between he fingers again but doesn't remove her hands on her face. "You should know that I've finished dressing." I state plainly. She was watching me, after all. She slowly removes her hands from her face. I notice that she appears to be slightly red.

"There's also a mask for that outfit…" She walks to the bed where she rummages around for the mask she mentioned. It takes a few seconds, but she manages to find it and gives it to me. I take one look at it and decide I'm not wearing it.

"The only useful part of this mask is the eyepatch. Why would I need something that has teeth painted on it? I doubt that I'll be scaring any Aragami that way." I inform her before looking down at my attire. "And this outfit won't be very good when fighting Aragami. There's hardly any space. If anything, I'll keep this outfit for formal events. Of course, I won't be keeping the mask." I take this outfit off carefully and keep it all together. I may need it in the future so it's best to keep it all together so that I know where everything is.

"You were very critical of that outfit. I'll try to pick one that would be useful in battle." She speaks with no emotion in her voice. I pay no more attention to it though as she almost instantly hands me another set of clothes. I take them from her, without a word, and put them on. As I do so, I notice that Ciel doesn't even try to hide her stares. This will be the last time I let her help me with something like this…

Finally, after two hours of going through outfits, we find one that we both like. I didn't realise when Ciel offered to help, she meant that she won't let me wear something she doesn't like. So now, as well as my usual eyepatch, my battle wear consists of: B.W. Short Blade Top, B.W. Short Blade Bottoms as well as white boots and white gloves to match. I've already ordered duplicate copies of these clothes so that I don't have to do this again. With my attire sorted, with the rest of the three hours of the day, I'm going to go and wait for when I can visit Yuno. I should see how she is getting on.

After bidding a good night to Ciel, I head towards the infirmary. Remarkably, I'm able to visit her straight away. As I walk into the infirmary, I notice that, apart from the occasional cough from beds behind closed curtains, it's quite quiet. Immediately to my left is where I see Yuno playing with Asuna's hair as the younger girls sleeps.

"It looks like she's finally fallen asleep." She comments as she stops playing with the girl's hair. "Thank you, for earlier." She gives me her gratitude. "Is everyone else all right?" I nod my head in response. "Thank goodness."

"We're more concerned with you, to be honest. How are you?" I ask her in a considerate, yet quiet, tone.

"Hehe, that's sweet. Thank you, I'm fine." Her laugh is heavenly. "Director Sakaki himself is researching a possible treatment. There's nothing to worry about." I guess that means that she really does have the Black Plague, although you wouldn't think that she does by looking at her. She seems rather healthy, but is it all just an act? "I want to thank each of them, but I can't leave the ward." She turns away with a dejected expression marring her features.

"Well, we could stage a break out." I tell her with a smile on my face, making sure to give a convincing gesture while I do so.

"Hehe! That's a lovely idea, but I think we might get in trouble." She laughs heartily, and it spreads to me as I give a chuckle.

"Ngh…" Asuna groans from her spot on the bed.

"Asuna…" Yuno gives a sympathetic response to the groan before turning to me. "Erm… I- I'd really like it if you could come by again. You know, whenever you have time." I could hear the wavering in her voice. She can only keep up her act for so long before he voice betrays her.

"I intend to visit you again, don't worry." I give her a smile as I respond. I leave after doing so with a friendly wave, and head back to my room to retire for the night.


	63. Chapter 63 - A reason?

Chapter 63

DISCLAIMER: I DO NOT OWN THE GOD EATER FRANCHISE HOWEVER I DO OWN MY OC.

Also, please leave a review!

Name: Cedrick Esparza  
Gender: Male  
Hairstyle: Style 7 (Dark Brown)  
God Arc: Paige Blaze (Short Blade), Sniper P (Sniper Rifle), Kurogane Tower A (Shield)  
Blood Art: Fatal Riser IV

After a night's worth of sleep, I felt re-energised and ready to begin the day. After completing my morning routine, I decided to have a breakfast cooked by the excellent chef Mutsumi. As I ate, I looked around to find that the lounge was full of a lot of people. My Blood Unit were sat near the television. I quickly finished my breakfast and joined them, sitting opposite Nana on a couch by myself. Before I could even talk, a sudden news broadcast interrupted and brought all of our attention to it.

"We interrupt this broadcast to give you live breaking news on the events aboard the Friar Mobile Branch. New information has recently come to light concerning Blood Unit Captain Julius Visconti, and his coup onboard Fenrir's mobile fortress." I look to see the reactions from the rest of my team mates, and I only now realise that Erina and Kota are with us. They had either joined us when the broadcast started, or they were there all along and I never realised. Regardless, the females of our group, all have worried looks on their faces. Being around Ciel and Gilbert for so long, I know that they're worried too. They just do a better job of hiding it. "According to Fenrir HQ, Captain Julius Visconti has now freed a number of hostages who had been taken captive aboard Friar. Among those released are Friar's Director Gregory de Gremslow." I really don't care about my former Director. He and I never saw eye to eye in the first place. "We now go live to his press conference." I tune out most of his press conference but get the gist that he wasn't part of Julius' troop. "To summarise the Director's testimony, Captain Visconti has declared Friar's complete independence from Fenrir. He claims that God Arc Soldiers can end the Aragami threat. Also, he demands that those who've contracted the plague be delivered to Fenrir. Meanwhile, Fenrir HQ continues to insist they will refuse the demand. They promise to work quickly to end this standoff." At this point, I think we've heard enough and decide to switch the television off.

"Dammit Julius…" Gilbert is the first to break the silence with a quiet, yet angry outburst. I look towards him but he doesn't continue. Instead, Kota does.

"They may protest but when all's said and done I bet they'll dance to Julius's tune. They'll give in all too easy." Kota expresses his thoughts while looking at me in particular. The anger on his face is clear.

"Most likely. Julius is offering them a clean slate. No more plague patients and an army of faster, smarter God Arc Soldiers." Ciel speaks the reason I had in mind.

"Yeah… Dammit!" It seems that Kota didn't think of that. "Those cowards think they can just sacrifice anyone outta their line of sight. Like they're not worth anything!"

"People like that, they just want to protect themselves… I guess it'll always be that way." Erina chips in with a sad voice.

"No way…" Nana's immediate response brings everyone's attention to her. "We can't just let this happen. Julius is just… wrong! And if our friend is wrong, then it's up to us to show him what's right." Nana gives a convincing speech.

"Yeah." Gilbert thinks so too.

"I agree with Nana." So does Ciel, and she looks at me for confirmation. I give a nod of my head before standing up from the couch, everyone else who was sitting does so too. I can't find the right words at the minute, but none are necessary. I look to Kota who gives the same response I gave, Erina does the same. "We'll bring Julius back where he belongs. Here, with us."

"The question is, how do we do that though?" I hated to say it, but we can't just walk straight into Friar and kidnap Julius.

"We need a plan. Maybe Director Sakaki could help us." Ciel suggests with a hand to her chin.

"That's a good idea. Ciel and I will consult the Director. The rest of you, be on standby." I command before Ciel and I head to the Director's office.

However, upon arrival, we find that the Director is not in his office. So Ciel and I are forced to split up and find him. I immediately head to the front desk where Fran informs me that the Director was urgently needed in the Infirmary a short while ago and that he might still be there. For some reason, I don't feel panicked when Fran brings this up but hurry over anyway. Outside of the Infirmary, I find the nurse standing.

"Just in time, visiting hours are open." Yae, the nurse, speaks up and I walk into the Infirmary. In there, I find the Director as well as Yuno and Asuna. There are other patients, but they have their beds hidden behind the green curtains. I walk over to the Director who stands along the bedside of Yuno. She appears to be in a dishevelled state.

"Nngh…"

"Whew…" My heart begins to sink as the Director speaks. "We got away with a short spasm this time. At least we can temporarily relieve the symptoms. Her continued survival cannot be attributed to her youth and vigor alone…" The Director really doesn't know how to sugar coat his words. "I've got to give my very best to find a cure quickly!"

"How is she?" I ask, completely forgetting the reason why I came in here for, although I know there was one.

"She'll need complete rest and quiet for a while, now that her spasms have finally calmed down. I plan to do everything I can. There's hope for her yet. Her case is worse than any I've seen, but previous patients died before the plague could reach this stage. It appears there might be something special about her. I believe I can save her, but time is short." That's all he says before he leaves the Infirmary. I continue staring at the pained Yuno for a while and eventually remember the reason I came to look for him. In the end though, maybe it is better off if Ciel and I think of a plan. I don't want to take the Director's time away from him when he is trying to save lives.

"Is Yuno going to be okay?" A child's voice from behind startles me, and I turn to see Asuna peering wide eyed at me from my bed.

"Hopefully." That's all I say. I couldn't look her in the eyes and say "of course she will be" when I didn't even believe it myself. It sounds as though even the Director is losing hope, despite what he told me. He probably tried to make me have hope. It didn't work though. Regardless, I still need to complete a daily mission in order to have an income. I head over to the mission desk as soon as I leave the Infirmary.

Apparently, the only mission available is with Kota against a Fallen Gboro-Gboro, a Fallen Quadriga and multiple Zygotes. I decide to take up the mission with him so that he isn't alone against such challenging opponents. I tell Fran to inform Kota of my decision to join him on the mission and prepare for it; switching my God Arc to a more powerful one and waiting for him on the roof near the helicopters.

God Arc: Burning Knife (Short Blade), Raven (Sniper Rifle), Kurogane Tower A (Shield)  
Blood Art: Flying Lotus III

When Kota was prepared, we headed out. Just the two of us against a large number of Aragami. That's what I am to believe anyway. There are only two large threats, the rest are Zygotes.

"We should defeat the Zygotes first." Kota speaks up as we see five Zygotes in the distance. They weren't alone though.

"How do we separate them from the main targets though?" I ask seeing as how all our targets were pretty much right in the centre of the map, the Abandoned Carrier. As if luck were on our side, the two larger Aragami begin to separate from the group. I couldn't believe our luck.

"We wait for them to wander further before we move in. I'll provide the back up." It was quite obvious what the roles were going to be. After all, he's an Old Type God Arc user. Regardless, I nod my head in response.

A few minutes after that, and we think that the larger Aragami have wandered far enough away. We move in, Kota shooting Blaze bullets while I slash and pierce them. Within a few minutes, the Zygtoes are defeated.

"We should split up to beat the remaining two Aragami." I suggest after devouring the Zygotes to obtain the materials.

"Bad idea. I won't be able to do a lot against either of them by myself. I'm an Old Type user, remember?" Kota reminds me.

"Defeating the Gboro-Gboro will be easiest. C'mon." I tell him before running off in the direction the Gboro-Gboro went in when it first separated from the herd.

After 20 minutes, both the Gboro-Gboro and the Quadriga has been defeated and their materials extracted.

"So Juius' objective was to sacrifice some people to save all the remaining ones?" Kota comes to a conclusion, speaking up unexpectedly. "Ah, sorry. I know Julius is a delicate subject for you." He looks at me sheepishly, but he can say what he likes.

"It's okay. Continue." I got the feeling that he wasn't quite finished talking about the subject.

"All right, if you're sure you're cool with it." He speaks up before ringing back the topic of conversation. "A long time ago, a bunch of people at the branch tried to sacrifice the many to save a select few." He begins, but I don't know if he means the Far East Branch or not. I walk over to him as he seems to have stopped talking. I stop beside him and follow his line of sight towards a structure in the middle of the ocean. It looks like it has seen better days. "The few were to evacuate on a spaceship called The Ark and return after a _controlled apocalypse_. The Ark Project was top secret, and Aegis Island was used as its cover." With him staring at the structure, I gather that that is the remains of the project. "The God Eaters found out and fought to stop it. In the end, one girl saved us all."

"Who?" The word left my mouth before I could think it over. If the girl was still alive, he wouldn't be speaking with a such a sad tone. She must have given her life for the cause.

"Hey," He turns towards me, "if I told you there was an Aragami that was more like a human, would you believe me?"

"No. Not easily anyway." Surely there couldn't be anything like that.

"Shio. She had a human mind and heart. She was a Singularity and the key to trigger the apocalypse. But to save us all she…" So Kota' saying that the person that saved all of them and the entire world, was an Aragami. An Aragami being even remotely human is preposterous. "All this with Julius reminded me. The Ark Project had good intentions, but went crazy. Shi saved humanity from that mistake." Kota grows quiet and I get the feeling its my turn to speak, yet he starts up again before I can even open my mouth. "Point is, I don't know what's going to happen next. .. But if you ever need me, if you ever need help, say the word and I'm there."

"Thanks Kota. You could probably help us come up with a plan to get Julius back on our side." I indirectly ask for his assistance.

"Of course, I was planning on helping anyway." He gives a joyous response. The memory of a quiet, joyous time like this will become one that I forget very soon…


	64. Chapter 64 - I have been betrayed

Chapter 64

DISCLAIMER: I DO NOT OWN THE GOD EATER FRANCHISE HOWEVER I DO OWN MY OC.

Also, please leave a review!

Name: Cedrick Esparza  
Gender: Male  
Hairstyle: Style 7 (Dark Brown) 

I arrive back at the Far East with a feeling of contempt having just been on a mission and allowing my mind to wander as we travelled back. In fact, with my mind still wandering, I miss the first time I am called to the Director's office.

"… repeat, Captain Cedrick Esparza to the Director's office." Fran's voice comes over the intercom and I briskly head off to the Director's office. All while my stomach feels strange.

"Ah, good, you're all here." Sakaki says to my unit and I in, what I believe to be, an annoyed voice. "I have some updates on Yuno's condition, among other things." The feeling in my stomach reminds me of the situation. I don't know what the feeling is though. "This question may seem rather wild, but have you ever heard of a Devouring Apocalypse?" He was right. The question is wild as what does that have to do with Yuno? A Devouring Apocalypse… I'm sure Kota said something about that earlier… I nod my head in response to the Director. "Excellent. I'll keep it brief. Aragami aim to swallow everything, even-ultimately- the entire planet. Thus, the Devouring Apocalypse. These massive disasters have occurred over and over again since the dawn of time." He manages to speak so calmly about something devastating that I kind of admire his composure. Surely, he must be feeling dread like the rest of us. I think that is the feeling that is welling up in my stomach: dread.

"When the planet is threatened or destabilised, the Apocalypse rises to set the balance right again." He continues, "Essentially, the eart _resets_ and all life begins anew. Understand so far?"

"Yes." I reply simply, on behalf of my unit as well.

"The Devouring Apocalypse has a sort of trigger that is essential to its birth: the Singularity. One of these appeared in the Far East three years ago. Long story short, it ended up on the moon. That explains the moon's _greening_ , if you will. Point being, Earth was safe from the Singularity."

"I knew of the Singularity but I had no idea it was connected to the moon's change of colour." Ciel speaks in amazement.

"I wouldn't suspect so. Only a few people here at the branch know the whole truth of what happened. All of which brings me to the matter at hand. Are you all still with me?"

"Mostly." I give an honest answer. I can probably ask Ciel to inform me about it again later.

"In brief, Singularity makes Devouring Apocalypse, Apocalypse rests Earth, Earth redistributes life. I'll begin with my hypothesis." Director Sakaki continues, however, I have no idea what this has to do with anything. What does this have to do with Yuno's condition? "We believe that the red rain and the black plague are Earth compensating for our current imbalance and creating a new Singularity. Keep in mind, this entire theory is based on the results of Miss Yuno's examination." Well now he's given the link to where Yuno comes into this, but what now?

"No… Director, you can't be saying that…" Ciel speaks in a mildly upset voice.

"Wh-what is it?" Nana asks, not quite understanding Ciel's tone of voice.

I quickly run through what the director said again to understand why. He explained that there should have been a Devouring Apocalypse three years ago, however, it ended up on the moon; explaining the moon's _greening_. Now, he thinks that in compensation for this, Earth decided to create the red rain and black plague to create a new singularity. Seeing as how this theory is based on Yuno's examination, a person that has the black plague, that means…

"Yuno is the new Singularity…" I whisper.

"I'm truly sorry to say it, but I fear Miss Yuno has been chosen as the New Singularity." Sakaki confirms my thoughts. With them being confirmed, I feel my heart sink. "Her infection has advanced much more rapidly than any of the other patients. Upon a more detailed investigation we discovered a Bias Factor within her that echoes the Singularity's pattern. It appears the black plague's Bias Factor is meant to transform its host into a Singularity. The two are directly intertwined. The plague drains life from its host, in an attempt to trigger the singularity, until they waste away. Perhaps this is the world's will; to create a new Singularity and trigger a new Apocalypse." He raises his head towards the ceiling with the last sentence, sounding and looking as though he has given up.

"You sound as though you're giving up." I comment snidely.

"On the contrary, I'm just exhausted from analysing information for the past few nights." He speaks calmly to me before continuing; making me feel a little bit guilty for speaking what I did. "Our best chance to stop it is to treat the plague. I'll dedicate all resources toward finding a cure. I'm sure I will need your help. I hope I can count on all of you." With that being said, he dismissed us from his office.

"So Yuno is the new Singularity?" Nana speaks in a sad voice. It's the same voice she had for a long time after Romeo's death; a voice I didn't want to hear again, but I guess that there is no stopping sad moments in a world like this.

"This is no time to be sad." I comment with a determined smile, however, Ciel continues for me.

"Cedrick is correct. The director may need our help. I have no doubt that by that he means that he wants us to collect materials. I propose that we each make a list of the materials we currently have…"  
"-So instead of going out to find them, we can see if we already have them and give them to the director." Gilbert finishes for Ciel, seemingly on the same wave length.

"Yeah! That's a good idea!" Nana speaks with more energy.

"We should meet up in the lounge in an hour. Bring a list of the materials you have, okay?" I give the instruction and they respond positively. With that, we head off to our rooms to make the lists.

Elsewhere

Julius' POV

It's becoming more and more bothersome to work with the plague, but if it is to help my friends – so that they don't have to suffer like Romeo did, then I will continue with all my heart. The God Arc Soldiers are nearing completion. I'm impressed that my former unit managed to defeat so many of them, which is why I need to make sure that they can't be defeated by my former unit. If they were defeated by God Eaters, then they stood little to no chance against the Aragami threat. I glance over towards Doctor Rachel to see her working on her scientific computer.

"It's time, my sweet! The final test is here!" Her enthusiasm catches me off guard, but I continue listening to her whilst completing a few more things that I need to; the coding for the God Arc Soldiers. "Everything will go just as we've planned, Julius. Everything will be perfect." With her words, I feel a great deal of accomplishment. Finally, my friends won't need to risk their lives to fight Aragami. They can go on with their lives as if they never became God Eaters.

*Cough*Cough* Wretch* I cover my hand with my mouth, my end draws nearer, as evidenced by the extending black marks on my skin. I have to see my friends one last time before my demise. I want to tell them that they no longer need to fight. They no longer need to risk their lives, for I have succeeded. The God Arc Soldier Project is a complete success.

"Poor Julius…" I turn to Doctor Rachel as she speaks, coming closer to my as she does so. "Poor, beautiful Julius… it seems you truly stand before the Grim Reaper himself." She soothing tone is heart-warming.

"I won't give in…" I manage to speak through short breaths. "Not until every last Aragami is purged from this world." I recline in my seat to have a moments rest.

"Hehehe! Fear not. The God Arc Soldiers have almost taken in all your gifts. Stay strong, my angel of battle." It appears that we're not quite finished yet, but hopefully we will be soon.

"Rachel… You'll finish it soon? Before this sickness can take me?" I'm aware of how pleading I sound, but it takes effort to come up with the correct words.

"Of course. As I swore to you I would." She speaks to me with the same voice that she used on that day. The day of Romeo's funeral. She came up to me and whispered into my ear. "Julius, I've come to a decision. I think it was grant you a measure of peace. Together, we shall nurture the God Arc Soldiers. With them, there shall be no need for God Eaters to risk their lives against the Aragami. It may sound almost mad now, but think of it all. No God Eater would ever have to die. We'd never suffer another loss like sweet Romeo." The idea was too tempting and that is what caused me to leave Blood Special Forces.

*Cough* Cough* A coughing fit takes me out of my thoughts and I wipe my mouth with my hand.

"The God Arc Soldiers have it now. They have incorportated the plague's Bias Factor!" She expresses with glee. I must admit, I am happy too. My job is done. I need to see my team, to tell them that they no longer need to fight. "They've been taught by your courage, trained in your Blood Power, strengthened by your sickness. Here, in this moment, they are almost as perfect a soldier as you are, my child. No God Eater will ever have to die, Julius. For you will live on forever inside my God Arc Soldiers." Her words fill my with joy.

"So much sacrifice built this metal army… Even after I've gone to Hell, this…" I clench my fist.

"No, my Julius…" No? What does she mean 'no?' "This mission you chose is not meant to end."

"Mission? I'm finished here, Rachel. All I have left to do is visit Romeo's grave and bid him a last goodbye. I'll see the others too… if they'll even meet me." I inform her of my plans. My 'mission' as she puts it is finished.

"All of that is meaningless now. You will be sovereign over all mankind." She retreats from me. How dare she say that my friends are meaningless! "When at last you overcome this final ordeal. You will rise like the sun and burn this world." What the hell is she talking about?

"What are you talking about?" She should know by now that I am in no condition to do anything. Wait. I hear a rumbling. Within moments, a large Aragami appears behind Rachel. It is nothing that I've ever seen before. It's hideous features make it seem like an amalgamation of other Aragami, but how did Rachel get to control it to her command? Wait. It's coming closer. Is she really…? After all I've done?

"Rachel! No!" With no time to move at all, and no time to defend myself, the Aragami's arm comes crashing down onto my chair. "Argh!" Thankfully, I wasn't crushed by it. Is Rachel trying to kill me?

"Ah, Julius. You are an angel." I try to get up, but the pain from the Aragami coupled with the plague doesn't allow me to. "My sweet, precious Julius. I knew it… from the very first moment I laid eyes on you. And when the Restless God told me that, of all the chosen, it was you who could grant my wish. What began as suspicion, became assurance." Rachel speaks as Aragami turns around to face me. Still, I can't move! It draws closer. "Since my true birth, I have been dedicated to this task. To burn away the corrupted, old world! And raise the light of dawn over a new one. I manage to move my hands underneath me, but the tremors from the massive Aragami's footsteps overpower my weakened arms. "This Earth is kindling now. All its people have served. Each one a loyal pawn. Well, no. That is untrue. All save you, my valiant knight. But there is much to do, and little time. Until then, my perfect Julius, sleep well. A rest well earned… My knight…" I turn my head just in time to see the Aragami raise its fist. Numerous thoughts flash though my head. Thoughts of my time with the Blood Unit. Thoughts of Romeo, Nana, Gilbert, Ciel… Cedrick, and how I will never see them again. As I see the Aragami's fist come crashing down, before my world will turn to black, one last thought crosses my mind: I have been betrayed.


	65. Chapter 65 - We've failed?

Chapter 65

DISCLAIMER: I DO NOT OWN THE GOD EATER FRANCHISE HOWEVER I DO OWN MY OC.

Also, please leave a review!

Name: Cedrick Esparza  
Gender: Male  
Hairstyle: Style 7 (Dark Brown)  
God Arc: Paige Blaze (Short Blade), Sniper P (Sniper Rifle), Kurogane Tower A (Shield)  
Blood Art: Blood Cascade III

Just like I commanded, we all meet in the lounge with our lists.

"Should I go first?" I speak up, unsure of how to execute the sharing of our lists.

"Well, since it was your idea, I think you should." Gilbert comments with a cocky smile, the tone of his voice matching it. I just smile back in response.

"Okay then. I'll start with what I have the most of, for each material extracted from Ogretails; I have 414. For each material extracted from Dreadpikes and Cocoon Maidens, I have the equal number of 208… You know what?" I look up from my list with a better idea, "I bet you all have a tonne of materials for those. We should just skip over them and start with medium sized Aragami, do you all agree?" I ask for their opinions. We all know that we can easily defeat small Aragami, so even if we didn't have enough materials, it would be easy to obtain them. I wait for each of them to respond before continuing. Thankfully, they thought my idea was a good one.

"Okay then, For each material extracted from Ukonvasara Aragami, I have 12. Likewise; Kongou – 25…" I continue my list, noting that I have at least two of each material extracted from the Aragami. After I complete my list, Ciel takes her turn; explaining that, in addition to mine, she also has significantly more Siren materials. Gilbert mentions that he has more Wolf materials and Nana makes it known that she has more Yaksha materials. As soon as we have completed sharing our lists. Sakaki calls us to his office where he states that he needs numerous Ukonvasara materials. I inform him that I have them and extract them from the terminal before handing them to the director. This cycle continues for the rest of the day.

Julius' POV

I'm still alive, albeit barely. I don't think it was Rachel's intention to kill me. She mentioned that she still had a plan to use me.

"God Arc Soldiers are empty steel puppets. And I'm no better." I start talking to myself despite the pain caused by the plague. "Look at me… I was so easily trapped in her thrall." I can't even move from this spot, lying on my right side against the cold, hard ground. "Is this how it must be?" I manage to move my head slightly and see a large pile of God Arc Soldier parts. The parts that once fought against my former unit. "How it all ends?" Is this all my life has lead up to? Is this what Rachel had planned for all along after meeting me during the grieving of my parents? Ah, yes, I remember the day I met her. I was naïve then…

"No one then? Truly, not one of you wants to serve as guardian to our little Julius?" A man I am not familiar with spoke. I sit on a brown couch in a dark room. Or at least, it seemed dark. My parents had died only days beforehand. And now, I'm being _auctioned_ off.

"Come now, you would stand to inherit the entire Visconti estate. There's no reason for you not to take him in. Someone must!" The female voice of the man's partner speaks up, trying her best to _sell_ me.

"Heh! You all go on and on about the strength of our family, but bring money into it and your tune changes real quick." The man tries to bait people into becoming my guardian, but it doesn't matter. He is hushed with a loud, "Silence" from another person I'm not very familiar with. They claim to be my family, and yet, they themselves do not wish to become my guardian. The voice continues, but I hear the sound of wheels scraping against the floor. Looking up, I see a woman clad in black and sitting in a wheelchair. She continues moving closer to me but stops about one metre away.

"Hello, Julius. How do you do?" The woman has a sweet voice, one that reminds me of my own mother. My head falls back down at the thought. I could no longer cry for her or my father anymore. My tears had run dry after the first two days, but the sorrow within me remains. "What's wrong?" The woman speaks again in a kind, caring tone. It would be rude of me not to answer her.

"I'm alone. My mother and father died. Then a lot of new people. My family I guess… They came and took everything away. They…" My hands are firmly gripping the couch I am sitting on, I can feel the pain from my fingers gripping so tightly, yet I don't stop. "They don't know me, they don't even know my mom and dad… All they want to do is take from me…" Just like the creatures that took my parents away! "Just like the Aragami…" I finish my explanation, and am surprised when I feel her hand on my cheek. She must have moved closer in order to do so.

"Julius, if you like, you'll come live with me. I run a house called Magnolia Compass. I'm sure you'll make lots of friends." She explains and I raise my head. She wanted to take me into her care? But I have no idea who she is!

"Miss… who are you?" I ask her, and the smile never leaves her face as she explains.

"I'm Rachel Claudius. I know this is all so sudden, but… if it will make you smile, I'll be your mother from now on." As she introduces herself, she guides me towards her chest, cupping her arms around my head like my mother would do. I close my eyes and remember the times when she did this for me.

A sharp pain brings my attention back to the current situation; lying on the floor, unable to move. My eyes jolt open, and another sharp pain crawls up my spine. I quickly move my arm, despite its protests, to cradle my weak form, just as memories of my life flood my head. My first meal at Magnolia Compass which tasted worse than the meals I would have at home with my family, although I suppose the taste wasn't as important as having somewhere I could call home then. The time I first met Ciel shoots through my mind, I remember that that was when she was assigned to be my bodyguard. I feel my body move wildly as each memory passes, yet, I can no longer feel the pain; despite the fact it feels like something is escaping my body. A memory of my former unit shoots into my head, although I notice the strange absence of the Vice-Captain, at the time. Then another memory of Rachel as she works appears before quickly being replaced with the time Romeo and I fought the Marduk. This ultimately lead to me remembering his demise in my arms. Then Rachel's offer to spare the same pain for my team mates which caused me to leave the Blood Unit. Memories of having to fend off my former unit from Friar after they infiltrated to rescue the plague patients enter my head. Memories I don't recall enter my mind as well; one of which was the moon while it was greening and a figure that appears to be looking down at the Earth.

"I understand now… I am…"

Cedrick's POV

With the new day ahead of us, Sakaki gives my unit and I the news we have been waiting for. We can now enter Friar; and so, we head off almost immediately, making sure to pack numerous supplies.

We enter the same way we did during the mission to retrieve the black plague patients. Last time, we left in in ruins, but it seems to have been cleared up. We run through the halls and see something in the distance. As we draw closer, we realise it to be the enemy. The one who caused all of this.

"Don't fret, children. You're not late for dinner." I can feel my blood boiling at Rachel's words, though I have no idea what she means. Almost as quickly as she appears, she vanishes again.

"Let's follow." Ciel speaks leaving no room for arguing, not that I would. Although, I could sense the anger in her voice. I nod my head as the door opens up.

"What is all this? It looks wrong." Nana comments on what is behind the door, and I agree with her. Walking into the room, we see a large table with food on it, numerous chairs at the side, and at the head of the table, is Rachel herself. This time though, it is clear that she, and the rest of the things in this room, are holograms.

"You've done well to come so far. Oh, look at you all, you're skin and bones! Please, sit. Let us eat."

"Rachel… what the hell is this about?" Gilbert, like I am, is reaching his boiling point. She's trying to keep us from Julius, but that won't work.

"Today is a very special ceremony. It's important to make sure you begin it with a full stomach. Please, eat, or it'll get cold." Rachel speaks with a mild annoyance in her voice.

"Stop these games!" I hear Gil swing his Arc and hold an arm out, already knowing what would happen next. It would do no good to let our anger get the best of us. Especially here. I feel Ciel stare at me for a second before she moves forward, attempting to pull up a chair but her hand runs through it. She, or anyone else, isn't surprised.

"All of this is nothing more than holograms." Ciel comments, confirming my earlier thoughts.

"Where are you keeping Julius?! Bring him out here right now, damn you!" Gilbert continues to express his rage and I continue to keep an arm out in front of him.

"Shhh…" Rachel moves a finger to her lips, "Sweet Julius is fast asleep. He's been working so hard for your arrival! We mustn't wake him before it's time." Rachel has the nerve to say. What concerns me though, is that Julius is asleep and that we mustn't wake him 'before it's time'. She's done something to Julius. That much is clear. I lower my arm that was preventing Gilbert from rushing towards her. Honestly, I don't really care if he does now. The person that I once thought of as a replacement mother, is nothing more than a mad scientist. It pains me to admit that, but I need to. There's no way that she could ever have been a mother.

"I'm actually glad we have a moment. It seems like ages since we've had a proper talk. I want to hear everything." She smiles as she rests her arms on the table, head resting on her hands. "Sit, sit. Let us talk until he awakens. Oh! First, I'd love to hear about your time in the Far East. Have you gone on many missions?"

"All right, Rachel, just tell us what the hell you want! What king of sick game are you playing?" Gilbert expresses how unhappy he is with the situation.

"Hehe! Oh, Gilbert, that's such a silly question. There's no game. You know all people are driven by their will. I taught you that. All I've done until this moment, has been for the sake of mankind. To help the weak, ignorant, foolish mortals to survive the coming trial." Rachel speaks, her tone not changing at all.

"Dr. Rachel, if I may ask a question of you." Ciel moves forwards slightly.

"There's the Ciel I know and love. So clever. I've such fond memories of your childhood. Go ahead, my dear." Rachel is beginning to annoy me even more now. She dared to bring up the fact that she was around for Ciel's childhood; is she trying to get Ciel's emotions riled up? She thinks that she can gain empathy from her?

"Dr. Leah told us everything. About your father, the children at Magnolia Compass, the plague patients, the fall. She blames herself." Ciel allows a moment for dramatic effect. Is she trying to tug on Rachel's heart strings by bringing up her sister? "But none of that explains why. Is all of this just for Julius? What are you even trying to achieve?" Good thinking Ciel, surely, she must have a motive. No person would act without one in such a violent way. "Even before you began, you knew you'd hurt innocent people. How could you do something so wicked?"

"You are as brilliant and as insightful as always, Ciel. I have a story that I wish to tell you all. Perhaps that will answer your questions. The story of a girl… who became an Aragami." She prepares herself to tell her story. "During my earlier years, I would often daydream. On one particular night, I wanted to gaze at the stars. That was ruined, however, when I heard the conversation between my sister and father. At first, it started with Leah informing our father about how we got along much better after she had pushed me down the stairs. Then she informed my father about how I tended to daydream, staring off into nothing. My father brushed it off as having, the _scientist's gift_ , and they have a conversation about how Leah wanted to become a scientist in order to help me. I tuned out after that, though. I remember the exact words I spoke to myself on that day. I'll repeat them for you." She tilts her head and smiles, as if she is doing us a favour. In all honesty, I don't care about her story, yet I listen. "All of us: my sister, my father, even me… All born of human blood. We're all wicked. The best way is to swallow it all… Swallow until nothing with remain… But everything has to be eaten… Everything. Yes… Okay! I'll find someone! Someone who can devour all of this wicked world."

"And this someone is Julius. You intend to create a Devouring Apocalypse." I make the connection with what she is trying to say. The holograms of the table, chairs and food disappear, leaving only Rachel as well as my Unit and I in the room.

"That is correct, Cedrick. I didn't expect you to know that though. Maybe you have learned something from the Far East Branch." I grit my teeth at her words. I know she is only doing this to irritate me, yet I can't help but feel irritated. "I remember when I held your head after your nightmares-"

"-And how you would always know when they would occur. Every time I did have a nightmare, you would always be there to comfort me. How did you know all of that?" I ask out of genuine curiosity.

"The Restless God would alert me to each of your nightmares." She begins her explanation, and already I am clueless. What the hell does she mean by 'Restless God'? "Although it wouldn't tell me what they were about, however, which is why I needed you to tell me about them. For you see, if it were not Julius we were waiting on to wake up, it would be you." She smiles sweetly which only makes what she is saying even more terrifying. "Although you don't have all the credentials Julius does, we could have used you instead. Thanks to Julius though, I no longer had to worry about you becoming a singularity, and thus, you didn't become one." Her explanation is thorough, and I feel the rage boiling inside my neck. The hand that grasps my Arc only tightens. I need more answers. Was all she done for me and everyone else just for this? The Devouring Apocalypse? Yet, I cannot speak. My voice has disappeared. So too, has the voices of my unit. Surely, they would speak up about it if they could.

"The Restless God was within me, always whispering in the ark, telling me how I could start the Devouring Apocalypse." Rachel continues her story, seeing as how none of us has the will to speak. "I could end the chaos, it told me… I alone could bring unto the world a Devouring Apocalypse." I continue gritting my teeth through all of it, desperately trying to keep my anger under control. "Then, I found my sweet Julius. He was extraordinary. His body could take any Bias Factor. He was chosen. Perfect. My hero will awaken soon as something far more than himself. All that's left are the final preparations for his great feast." Rachel speaks as the door behind her opens to reveal a battlefield my Unit and I are all too familiar with. "Welcome. Welcome, everyone! Please, follow me down." After she says that, she disappears. Clearly, she is a hologram too. Nevertheless, my group and I jump onto the battlefield. As we jump, I notice something that wasn't here during the last time we fought on this battlefield. A cone, of sorts, sits in the centre of a machine with tree-like branches coming out from it. As well as that though, a person that I can only describe as a child-like Rachel appears in front of us.

"There is only one unceasing truth in this world. Survival of the fittest." Instantly, the child disappears, only to be replaced with Rachel in her wheelchair. Is she trying to play mind games on us? "The weak must perish, and the strong survive. Nature has decreed it so. There are no exceptions, no denials to this supreme law." As she talks, I give the nod to my team mates and we walk closer towards the cone previously identified. As we walk closer, the holograms of Rachel continue to change shape and distance from us. "The Devouring Apocalypse swallows the great feast whole… ushers in the Singularity's new order. " The younger Rachel speaks before being replaced with an up-to-date version of her. She appears towards the side of us, and I move my Arc so that it is facing outwards, hoping to clip her as we walk by.

"An Apocalypse has brought forth every major change since the birth of time. It is the resounding trumpet, the herald of the future." To my minor dissatisfaction, the hologram moves before my Arc can hit it. "It is a divine apoptosis. By its sheer will excising wasted life. Curbing a world that has evolved far beyond its granted limits. It has happened time and again, yet still, impudent humans defy the mandate of my Restless God! They protect the old chaos! They tainted its last attempt at Singularity. They thought themselves immortal. Banishing that infinite power to the darkness of the moon." Finally, something I can understand. She's talking about the last Devouring Apocalypse that caused the moon's _greening_. "But they could never hold back my sweet Julius." With those being her last words, hopefully anyway, we see that Rachel is in the centre of the battlefield. A short distance away from the cone. We come to a stop an equal distance away.

"Um… Do you guys think it's another hologram?" Nana speaks nervously, unsure of what to do.

"Not this one." Ciel remarks easily. We watch as something drops from the grip of the older Rachel while the child stands by her side. "I don't need that doll anymore." The child says before looking up. "There, see?" She points to where she is looking and suddenly, a large, hideous Aragami appears. "I have a much bigger one." My Unit and I enter our battle stances.

Honestly, I'm quite happy that an Aragami has shown up. It will give me the chance to expel the anger I am feeling right now. Then after this, we'll question Rachel to give us Julius. First things first though, defeating that Aragami.

"Aim for its chest and arms! It looks like a demiurge and probably has the same weaknesses as one! But don't think that it will attack using the same methods!" I shout my commands to my team mates. "Now split off!" We'll have more chance to damage the opponent by splitting up. It will force the beast to attack only one of us at a time. I run towards the Aragami's left hind leg and Gilbert joins me in targeting the hind legs. Nana and Ciel seem to be going for the front of the Aragami. This is what I intended. If luck is on our side, Gilbert and I can wear down the beast by constantly attacking its back legs while Nana and Ciel fire at the front of it. Thus, if it tries to lunge towards any of them, Gilbert and I can stop it before it tries to lunge.

After a minute or so of this plan, it becomes clear that it isn't a very efficient one. It takes too much energy to constantly try to stop the Aragami from lunging, and when it doesn't, it turns around to attack Gilbert and I. After avoiding the attack, we have to run back around to the beast's rear side to continue the plan.

"Change of plan! Attack however you want!" I shout between defending and attacking, rushing towards the beast after it catapulted itself away from us. I manage to slip in between the monster's arms and hack away at its chest. After five slashes of my Arc, I feel a burst of energy and continue slashing. As the blood pumps through my body, I feel my anger coming out and increasing my attack power with each and every slash. It feels good to finally expel this anger.

"Move!" I hear a collective response and suddenly feel a sharp pain to my side. I am launched across to the other side of the map. I land hard on my stomach and attempt to get back up. A hand soft hand on my shoulder stops me though.

"Here, eat this." Ciel gives me a Restore Pill, and I happily take it, especially since the look on her face told me that I had no choice in the matter. After I eat it, she smiles. I smile back, only to be met with a punch to the arm. I'm sure she knows that it is significantly less painful than the Aragami's attack, so why did she do that? "Don't let your anger get the better of you. You're more likely to make rash decisions, and on the battlefield, that could be your death." She informs me before quickly running to help Nana and Gilbert. She is right though. I did so well to keep my composure until that point. Maybe I should refrain from using this blood power for a while. It requires me to remain stationary and constantly slash at the target; exposing me to attacks. I quickly get back up and head back into the fight, knowing now not to let my anger control me.

With a final roar, the Aragami comes crashing to the ground. Never to move again. We make sure of that by devouring its core, and then devouring some more, just to be sure.

"Is it done?" Gilbert asks, seemingly exhausted from the battle. I'm not surprised though, they fought well. My minor injury was the only one.

"Dr. Rachel…" Ciel mutters. Almost immediately after, a huge crash shakes the floor and Nana gives a worried, "Ah!"

"What's happening?!" Gilbert asks the question I, too, would like to know as the ground continues to shake. I look towards the cone as I hear something pouring out of somewhere, and see a plethora of branches exploding from underneath the cone where they move as if they were a liquid. The branches quickly take the older Rachel's limp form into their grip, swallowing her. The branches seem to stop after taking her. At least, they don't continue towards us.

"The feast is laid…" Rachel' voice surprises me since I've just seen her being swallowed by the branches. I look for her voice, only to see her standing, yes _standing_ , atop the Aragami's corpse. "The Devouring Apocalypse has at last begun. Shatter and burn, they decrepit world. It is a power beyond human ken. Despair at its rise. I had hoped, my beautiful children, would stand with me… Would face the end of all time beside me. Alas, you have already chosen your path. You chose to wander in shadowed and dangerous woods. Now you shall sleep eternally. Farewell, flesh of my flesh, farewell, Blood… Let us meet again in the new world. A world uncorrupted. Julius, you must now awaken…" She finishes as the branches swallow her and the Aragami once again. After she disappears, a sound of something uncoiling can be heard. Immediately, out attention is drawn towards the cone. Little did we realise that it was a cocoon. A half-naked, lifeless Julius with numerous branches sticking out from him being inside the cocoon.

"Is that… Julius?" By the sound of Nana's voice, she doesn't know whether to be happy to see him again, or sad about the situation he is in. I can only grit my teeth. We've failed to bring Julius back with us.

"No way. No! I can't be!" Gilbert openly expresses his anger and disbelief.

"Julius?" I'm sure I can hear Ciel's voice wavering. They know, that we have failed. Another loud crash can be heard, and we notice the liquid-like branches enclosing towards us.

"Blood? Blood, do you read me?" Director Sakaki's panicked, worried voice comes through our earpieces.

"Yes, we hear you, Director!" Ciel is the one to answer.

"We're reading a massive Bias Field disruption near your location! Fall back at once!" Sakaki demands. "The pulse is almost identical to the pattern of… a Devouring Apocalypse!" A Devouring Apocalypse? It's already started?! That means… we've not only failed Julius, we've failed the world… I grit my teeth again. I feel my blood boiling, my hands tensing, and blood flowing from my teeth for clenching so hard. My one good eye stares into the liquid-like branches like a glare, my eyebrows furrowed. "There's still time before it reaches us over here. Retreat to the Far East Branch for now. I know we can find a way to stop this!"

"Captain, there's no other choice. We must withdraw." I reluctantly, but quickly nod my head in Ciel's direction. I know she is correct, but I don't like the fact that Julius has to be the one to suffer for our failure.

"We'll be back, Julius!" I shout before running from the imminent threat, making sure to stay behind my team mates to keep them in my sight; and to also, not let them see the blood that leaves my mouth. I wipe it quickly, but it keeps flowing. It isn't until I try to find the source of my blood that I realise I still have my teeth clenched tightly shut. I unclench them, and brush two fingers over my tongue. The blood is coming from there. I must have bitten my tongue as I clenched my teeth. I guess I'll clean it up when we arrive back at the Far East…


	66. Chapter 66 - Fighting fire with fire

Chapter 66

DISCLAIMER: I DO NOT OWN THE GOD EATER FRANCHISE HOWEVER I DO OWN MY OC.

Also, please leave a review!

Name: Cedrick Esparza  
Gender: Male  
Hairstyle: Style 7 (Dark Brown)  
God Arc: Paige Blaze (Short Blade), Sniper P (Sniper Rifle), Kurogane Tower A (Shield)  
Blood Art: Blood Cascade III

As Ciel and the rest of my group went straight to the Director's office to give him our report, I headed to my room. Straight away, I changed my Blood Art to something that I can control easier.

Blood Art: Fatal Riser IV

After that, I headed into my bathroom where I inspected the wound on my tongue. I stuck my tongue out in front of the small mirror to see a few splodges of blood on my tongue. I swallow them and inspect the marks.

"They're not deep." I attempted to say, but with my tongue sticking out it is sounding like a mesh of words. Regardless, I rinse a hand under the tap before moving it to my mouth to put some water on the wounds.

"It shouldn't take long before it heals." The blood wasn't pouring out as fast as it was before, but it was still flowing, albeit at a much slower pace. "I should probably head to the Director's office, too." I comment before moving out of my room, my destination being set.

Upon entering Director Sakaki's office, I see him looking over bits of paperwork. As for my team mates, Ciel stands on the opposite side of the desk to him, seemingly watching over the director. Nana has taken a seat to the side of the office, and Gilbert leans against a wall. I head over to him.

"What's going on?" I whisper to him, leaning against the same wall as I do so.

"Ciel's just finished the mission report. And the Director is doing something with his sheets of paper." So, Gilbert doesn't know what exactly is going on either. I look over towards the director to see him run a hand through his hair. He sighs heavily before getting up from his seat and walking in front of his desk. Ciel backs away a few steps. I get the feeling that I should stand with her and move away from the wall. It seems Gilbert and Nana have the same idea as the join me in standing beside Ciel. Having been distracted by Ciel, I only now realise that the director has begun pacing up and down in front of his desk.

"I'm afraid I have ill news. I've considered your report and the results of Bias Field monitoring. At this point, we must assume that the transformation is complete, Julius has become a Singularity." He informs us. Any small hope we may have had to rescue him dims, like a weakened candle. If that is so, I am afraid there is almost no hope of saving him." Sakaki confirms my thoughts, and I grit my teeth again. "And if we allow the Devouring Apocalypse to begin, that is the end for all of humanity. All life will be purged, reset, and redistributed. The world will cease to exist in its current form."

"Director Sakaki…" CIel speaks in a disbelieving voice. "Is there anything we can do? There must be some way to stop it."

"Hmm…" Sakaki hums.

"There must be. I refuse to sit back and let this happen." I clench my hands and unwind my teeth.

"Let me begin by saying one thing: I have never agreed with sacrificing the few for the many. No matter how desperate, there is always a path to victory that doesn't require sacrifice. Miracles happen when hope rises. My friends have proven that truth to me. It is undeniable. Listen well, there may be a path to such a miracle." As much as I'd like to say that Sakaki's words fill me with hope, that they give fuel to the flame of hope, I can't. Miracles do not happen in this world, and the fact that we have to rely on a miracle to save us, that doesn't fill me with hope at all. Nevertheless, we will try what he has to say, it may be the only way. "Still, it will be a narrow one, and treacherous. One misstep—well, you may still manage to stop the Devouring Apocalypse, but… the cost will be unbearably high, all of Blood, Miss Yuno, and others may lose their lives. Discuss it first among yourselves and with Miss Yuno. When you're ready, I'll tell you my plan."

"What do you mean, _ready_? We're ready now!" Nana protests and I agree with her. We have no time to waste. Every second we're here, is a second that the Devouring Apocalypse gains.

"It's reckless, dangerous, mad even. Yet I know that if I tell you, you'll begin without a second thought." Sakaki reasons. "I want to be completely honest with you first. Please, discuss it together. Think it over. I'll arrange for Yuno to meet you in the lounge. You must come to a decision you won't regret. Think hard about who and what you fight for." With Sakaki's words, we head to the lounge. Each of us silent as we know the next discussion with Yuno will decide our futures.

A minute or two after we all arrive in the lounge, including Yuno, Nana is the first to speak up.

"I… I don't know…" She sounds truly clueless about the future. "Do you guys really think we can stop something like the Devouring Apocalypse?"

"What do you mean?" Gilbert asks, unsure of what Nana is trying to say.

"I can't imagine how powerful it must be. We're ultra-strong, I know, but are we really strong enough to fight something like that?" She puts her head down, dejected almost.

"Of course, we are. I believe in you, in us!" I inform each of my team mates as well as Yuno. It's obvious that Sakaki had planned for her to be a part of this plan, otherwise she wouldn't be talking to us right here. Speaking of Yuno, she looks no worse for wear since the last time I saw her. The marks on her shoulder and arm have spread, but other than that, she looks fine. If Sakaki didn't tell me that she is a special case, then I doubt I would have noticed.

"You're all so incredible." She speaks up. "If I'm being honest, I'm terrified. This is the first time I've ever chosen to fight like this. This must be how God Eater always feel before a battle. I think I'm starting to understand. The captain is right." She raises her head as she speaks her last sentence. "I believe so strongly in all of you. I will fight beside you, with all the power I have to give." Her voice and her face are full of determination.

"Heh. Yeah. Yeah, you are right! You know, I remember, Julius told us something, the very first time we had field training together." She turns to me as she speaks. " _Humanity has faced enemies since ancient times. Humanity has always prevailed._ He told us that Blood Power and all that was just the strength of our resolve! And it's even stronger when were a team!" It seems like Yuno's speech has given Nana the courage and determination for this battle.

"Yeah. The will to bring us together." Gilbert chips in with an equally determined voice.

"We will stop the Devouring Apocalypse." Ciel speaks, it's clear that we're all determined, and thus, our minds about the future have been made.

"And that is not all." I speak up the grab their attention. There's still one reason for all of this. "We will bring Julius home." I match their determination with my own and they each nod their head to me. It's clear that they haven't forgotten about it.

"So, it looks as though you've made your decision." Sakaki makes himself known as he walks towards the lounge door. I'm not sure how long he has been there for, but at least he knows that we've made our decision. "I'll gather the other people we will need for my plan. We shall congregate in Yuno's room." He leaves without a second thought.

"Why my room?" Yuno sounds a bit panicked as she shouts after him. She turns towards us with the panic still on her face. "Give me a few minutes to clean it up, first." She rushes off. I look to the rest of my team and see a smile on the face of the girls, do they know something Gilbert and I don't?

Two minutes pass and my team mates decide to head to Yuno's room, I stay for a little while longer though. Yuno said that she needed time to clean her room up. Thus, if it is messy, it will take more than just a few minutes. I wait for another few minutes to pass before going to her room.

Entering her room, Yuno is sitting at the very back of the room. Ciel and Kota have taken two of the couch's seats with Erina taking the other one. I haven't heard from her in a while actually. I wonder if she needs any more training. Regardless, this is not the time for that. By the end of today, there may be no time to train, for there will be no time at all. Looking around the room, I see that Gilbert is leaning against a wall, Sakaki paces up and down in front of Yuno, Nana sits on the bed and Emil stands beside her. I stand in the middle of the room as we wait for Sakaki to tell us his plan. Sakaki stops in his track to view all of us, leaving Yuno to last before speaking.

"It is a risk to be sure, but the only thing that can stop a Devouring Apocalypse… is yet another Devouring Apocalypse." Sakaki doesn't beat around the bush this time, but really? Surely that won't work.

"Director Sakaki, have you gone mad?" Erina asks, to my amusement. A smile crosses my face. At least I am not the only one who thinks that this won't work.

"Not at all! I mean, well… not this time! Listen…" This must be the first time I've heard him get so defensive. It too, is quite amusing. "A Devouring Apocalypse begins with a Singularity, such as Julius. They impose a devastating will to rewrite this world from scratch. With the power of another Singularity to wake another Devouring Apocalypse, we could face this head on. I believe, we have the pure strength needed to counteract Julius' will." He has thought this out, but I wish he wouldn't refer to Julius as if he is our enemy. "Before I even begin to explain Singularities and Apocalypses, I'll need to explain the black plague." He speaks before pacing the room again, this time with a smile on his face. "You see, the plague is a mechanism used to create a Singularity. Julius overcame a merciless natural selection process to prove himself capable of taking on this role. Miss Yuno and the other patients who contracted the plague couldn't endure the selection. They're failures, in a manner of speaking."

"Failures? Director, there's just no way! Y-You mean every death because of the plague was… meaningless?" Nana speaks up emotionally, bringing up memories of Romeo.

"Not at all!" The director is quick to respond with a sympathetic smile, "And I'll tell you why! Here's the twist. The plague patients are only failures when you consider there to be only one Singularity. Do you all understand?" Honestly, I don't. I look towards Ciel in the hopes that she will notice my cluelessness. It takes a few seconds of staring at her before she speaks.

"Essentially, each patient has the power of a Singularity within them." Ciel speaks up and I give her a 'thumbs up' for thanks. I understand it better now.

"If we combine the will of those infected, it may indeed be more than enough to counter the completed singularity. Well, in theory at least.

"Yes, in theory, but we have no way to accomplish that." Ciel speaks again, seemingly finding a flaw in the director's plan already.

"Precisely, Ciel. Now, the key to establishing a Singularity is a powerful resonance, yes? After all is said and done, a Singularity is merely a great will and the expression of will is a great Resonance." Sakaki walks closer to Ciel. "When multiple wills merge, they form a Resonance, one that amplifies human hpe. It multiplies that hope, spreading it over vast distances." He looks at Ciel before taking a quick glance at me, returning his gaze to Ciel as he continues. "Your Blood Unit is the ideal embodiment of that very Resonance." Ciel isn't having any of this though.

"Like as not, Blood Unit can't trigger a Resonance that strong, and we fight at full strength. I'm afraid the infected have little chance."

"Ah, there's the rub!" Sakaki speaks confidently, has he already planned for this? "The plague is born of Oracle cells, and the patients, well, they don't have enough will to form an elegant Resonance. However will we solve the problem?" Sakaki asks cockily. "Resonance isn't the only harmony of human hope. It isn't the only tool by which we can bind together will and strength. Lo, there are others! Isn't that right, Miss Yuno?" Sakaki suddenly asks Yuno who is just as surprised as the rest of us.

"Huh?"

"You've always held the music brings together the hearts of its listeners as one, correct?" Sakaki asks to confirm.

"Yes," A very quick response from the woman, "I have. I… I want to believe that."

"Good answer. I want you to sing, Miss Yuno. Like you've never sung before. Melody will be the catalyst to bind together our wills."

"I will, I'll do everything I can." She gives another determined answer.

"Our success will depend on each and every one of you." He speaks before turning towards me. "When her song has bound the will of humanity together, use the Evoke ability that dwells in your blood." Sakaki mentions my Blood Ability that I have not heard for a very long time. "The Resonance it triggers will amplify this collective will and complete the Singularity. You see?" I give a sharp nod of my head in response. "In brief, Miss Yuno gathers the willpower and you, my good Captain, shall amplify its strength with the power in your veins. We will create an Apocalypse to fight an Apocalypse. Mad? Almost certainly! But it's the only choice we have."


	67. Chapter 67 - Act I: Finale

Chapter 67

DISCLAIMER: I DO NOT OWN THE GOD EATER FRANCHISE HOWEVER I DO OWN MY OC.

Also, please leave a review!

Name: Cedrick Esparza  
Gender: Male  
Hairstyle: Style 7 (Dark Brown)  
God Arc: Paige Blaze (Short Blade), Sniper P (Sniper Rifle), Kurogane Tower A (Shield)  
Blood Art: Fatal Riser IV

We rush through the all too familiar corridors of Friar in an effort to stop the Devouring Apocalypse. One half of Friar has long since been taken over by the ice white branches that litter every other corridor. One thing the four of us didn't expect to see though, are numerous Aragami in these corridors. As an Ogretail jumps towards us, Nana jumps up and meets it head on with a whack of her hammer. It smashes into a wall, easily defeated. Gilbert pierces the armour of the Cocoon Maiden and easily destroys its core. Ciel executes a Zygote with a back flip attack similar to my Fatal Riser Blood Art. I, on the other hand, meet the last Aragami, another Ogretail, head on and give it a large slash across the face. It doesn't get back up. We continue along the corridors, clearing a path for Yuno and her manager for when it is showtime.

It takes another minute or so of running before we come face to face with an empty cocoon.

"Huh? What happened to Julius?" Nana asks the question on all of our minds.

"Blood, come in. We're preparing to activate the Devouring Apocalypse!" I hear Director Sakaki through my earpiece and turn behind me to see Yuno standing quite far back.

"Director Sakaki! Belay that order!" I hear Ciel shout. It becomes clear why as a large, Aragami-like figure appears from above us. Not quite as large as the last Aragami we fought here, but still a deadly one. With a body and plates as white as a sheet, a blue core, and the body of Julius. I grit my teeth in anger. It's painful to see my friend in such a state. He hovers a few metres in front of us.

"Julius! It's us, your friends. Wake up, please!" Nana pleads with him and we see his head move. I grit my teeth in response as we see that Julius doesn't recognise us. That's when it moves its arm and the plates that were surrounding it fly into the air, before they come rushing back down. Julius, please don't make us fight you.

"Look out!" Nana shouts and we all manage to evade by jumping backwards.

"Julius!" Gilbert shouts in a desperate attempt to make Julius remember who we are.

"You… You've taught me so much. Each of us can mend our shortcomings. When we're together, our weaknesses fade away. And only strength remains." Ciel speaks up, trying to find the motivation to carry her through what is inevitable. Although, I don't know who she is talking about. `As she speaks, we are forced to jump to avoid a low sweeping attack from the metal plates. Thinking back on her words, I think she was talking about me. "Julius needs us more than ever. Let's bring him home."

"I couldn't agree more." I speak up.

"That's right. If we gave up on him now, all his dreams would be lost… And we're not gonna let that happen! So, hold on, Julius. We're coming!" Nana shouts in determination. I feel a tap on my shoulder. It shocks me slightly, but I realise it is Gilbert.

"Let's do this! We carry Romeo's strength inside us. There's no way we'll let Julius fall here!" With those words, we run towards Julius in the hopes of bringing him to his senses, even if that means riling him up a bit.

Julius brings the plates above his head and they spin rapidly, shooting off orbs directly at us. I side step to evade one of them and am forced to dive to evade another as it speeds towards me. As soon as I've picked myself back up, I launch myself upwards where I manage to land three slashes on one of the plates. When I land back on the ground, I land two slashes to Julius' icy white legs. In response, he assumes a sword like position and speeds towards me. I use my shield to block the attack but am carried backwards at a fast pace. Thankfully, I land on my feet but then I see my friends running towards me and a black mist starting to form in the direction that Julius ran.

"Wait!" I shout to my team mates and they stop in their tracks, inches away from the black mist that now slashes the air around it before quickly fading. I land another few attacks on Julius as he gets out of his stance.

"Come on, Julius! Come to your senses!" I shout before executing my Fatal Riser Blood Art attack on his icy white arm. After that attack I back away from him, hoping to see his reaction. The blank stare on his face alerts me to the fact that he has no reaction to me. I grit my teeth again. It seems that the only way to bring him to his senses will be to defeat him. I throw a paralysis trap onto the ground and back away several metres. I change my Arc to Gun Form and fire three of my custom Blaze bullets in his direction; making sure not to hit his human body by aiming for his legs. He responds by making his plates fly into the air and come crashing down again. Thankfully, I already know how to evade this attack and do so easily. However, the force of the plates crashing down disrupts my paralysis trap and it breaks, much to my dismay. I go to run towards him, only to see that he launches another sword like position. I know what's coming next, so I run to the side to evade his attack. As soon as he has finished, I place my last paralysis trap down on the floor right behind him. After doing so, I retreat several metres and join my team mates as they fire bullets in his direction. Again, they make sure not to hit his human body. After Julius gets out of his sword like position, he turns around and activates the paralysis trap.

"Now is probably the best time to activate the Devouring Apocalypse." I speak to Director Sakaki. I switch my Arc back to Melee Form before I turn around to see where Yuno is. Surprisingly, I see her manager, Satsuki, on the same level as us, running away from the microphone she has just set up.

"The Bias Field is being disrupted." I hear Fran through my earpiece.

"It's just like the first… The Bias Field of a Devouring Apocalypse!" Hibari speaks up.

"We're all ready for the show." Satsuki says.

"It's begun." Gilbert speaks up, our job was only to defend the crew as they set everything up. I'm sorry Julius, but you're not winning this one.

"Blood, retreat immediately." Hibari shouts through the earpiece as Julius begins gathering a ton of energy. No doubt to start to the Devouring Apocalypse.

"The field's fluctuating wildly!" Fran contributes.

"All right, let the song begin!" Sakaki shouts. Satsuki then mumbles something about Yuno taking the stage while my unit and I back off from Julius, in preparation to defend Yuno as she sings. Nana gives Yuno the thumbs up to start. While Yuno sings, the branches that swallowed Dr. Rachel earlier spread out and head towards her.

"Guys! This is the PA booth reporting… we may have a problem." I hear Satsuki through my earpiece, but can't answer as I slash a few of the branches that threatens Yuno.

"Satsuki! What's going on?" Hibari asks worriedly.

"One of those things has gotten through… Aah!" Satsuki squeals.

"What's happening?" I ask through my earpiece.

"It's all right, the 1st Unit have come to her aid." Sakaki quickly informs me of the situation and I don't bother to speak again. Instead, I am forced to run around the other side of Yuno to fend off more branches. As Yuno sings, a red energy gathers around her. Yet, I have no time to be mesmerised as I must protect her. I slash another few branches before having to run to further towards Yuno to defend her from a few branches that look to try and attack her from overhead.

"A second Bias Field source is rising!" Fran speaks up.

"The Devouring Apocalypse has begun!" Hibari informs us of the situation and yet, we continue to fight. Above us, the fight between Devouring Apocalypses takes place. We desperately hope that Yuno's red apocalypse will beat Julius' white one. However, after just moments of battling between the apocalypses, it is clear that Yuno's is weaker.

"She can't fight it!" Nana shouts as Yuno's Devouring Apocalypse is being pushed back.

"Yuno?!" Ciel speaks worriedly and I turn to the person in her speech. Yuno is still singing, but it is clear that she can't stand the force of Julius' apocalypse.

"Maybe we should have waited until Julius was more worn out." I mumble to myself. I rush over to her as I see begin to teeter. Luckily, I was right to move when I did as I catch Yuno with an arm before she falls. Her singing has stopped though.

"Blood's Bias Field is weakening… Fight!" Fran commands.

"Is this it, then? Is Miss Yuno's song fated to become our funeral dirge?" I hear Sakaki speak.

"What is that?!... Listen." Fran seems to hear something though. A few seconds pass by before another person speaks.

"The song… can you all hear that? Can you hear it!?" Satsuki shouts and I vaguely hear vibrations in the sound of a song. "Yuno, your song. The whole world sings your melody!" With this new revelation, I begin to hear it.

"Bias Fields are flowing towards Friar. Th-They're coming from all over the world!" One of the operators say.

"Scientifically speaking, sound is little more than vibration in the air. But this is so much more. There is true power here. This is the power that turns the hope of one man to the hope of all. That takes one small drop and turns it… to an ocean." Sakaki speaks with astounded. Meanwhile, my unit and I are forced back into action. Fending off the effervescent branches. Once again though, the Bias Factors entrap Yuno and she begins with more energy than before.

"They're gaining strength! Both of the Apocalypses are growing!" Hibari comments. "They should begin simultaneously. Five minutes and—No! Two minutes and counting!" I constantly look back and forth between Yuno and the branches, fending off the ones that get too close, desperate for my cue to help.

"Melody twining in rhythm, emotion inherent in the words that we sing, where music and hope align. Yes, this Resonance will be wonderous." Sakaki speaks in awe.

"Blood Unit, it's as you heard!" Sakaki starts speaking again. I look to Yuno to see her holding a hand out towards me. "The Apocalypse is rising. What's coming will be beyond the realm of man's comprehension." I walk to Yuno and concentrate all of my energy into my gloved hand before reaching for Yuno's. A bright orb forms between our hands and as they close together, the Bias Factors around Yuno and I increase in speed, and ferocity. Holding each other's hand, we look up to where her Devouring Apocalypse and Julius' Devouring Apocalypse meet. And Yuno's succeeds, changing our world to white.

As our vision returns, the five of us find ourselves at the edge of a field full of flowers that overlooks a grim, dark path. From that path, emerges Julius, dressed in his Blood uniform. We rush over to the very end of the flowered field in order to meet with him. However, this is not a happy reunion. As Nana attempts to hug Julius, she finds herself unable to proceed any further than the flowered field as a forcefield blocks her path.

"Julius! You're all right! Please, come back with us!" Nana pleads, the emotion can be clearly heard in her voice.

"I would love nothing more, Nana, truly. Yet I cannot stop the Apocalypse from beyond this place." Julius speaks, breaking Nana's heart and truthfully, my own. I'm sure Ciel and Gilbert feel the same way.

"You have to stay." Yuno walks forward, breaking the news that my unit and I didn't want to hear. "The Singularity must remain here. That's the truth, isn't it, Julius?"

"Yes. I am sorry… but I am bound to this place. There is no way for me to return." Julius speaks up sadly. After all of our effort to bring him back, we learn that there is no way for him to return to us? As miraculous it is for us to have beaten the Devouring Apocalypse with another one, I can't consider this a miracle unless Julius returns with us.

"Then we'll stay here with you!" Ciel protests, placing a hand on the forcefield.

"No, Ciel, no. You must go back. I entrust to you the protection of every soul holding to this precious song. It is not an order." He walks closer to the forcefield and places his own hand on it. "It's simply… my heartfelt wish." I can feel my eyes growing wet at his words, yet I blink them back in order to keep my composure. "My friends, this is where I must face my final battle. You cannot intervene here. You belong safe on the other side. It is the only way. If, somehow… If you can forgive me, I want, more than anything, for us to fight together again. As one… As Blood…" Ciel cannot take anymore of his words and weakly falls to the ground in tears. Honestly, if I was not the Captain of Blood, I would have done the same. It does surprise me though that Ciel is the one to cry, and so openly too. But I guess she must be comfortable enough with our team that she can feel that she can do so.

"Julius…" Nana gives an emotional cry of his name, but surprisingly doesn't cry.

"Please." Julius turns towards me. I know what he is waiting for. He wishes to use my Evoke power. I walk up to him and close my eyes as I focus it for the second time in a matter of moments. Once I've concentrated it, I place my hand on his, or at least try to but the forcefield stops out contact. It doesn't stop our powers though.

"Thank you." He speaks after we've finished before turning away from us. "It begins." As he speaks, numerous red eyes appear in his world and Aragami I've never seen before appear before him. A silver plated Vajra, a Marduk that I'm all too familiar with, and more unrecognisable Aragami. "All of you, fall back to your positions, all right? I can take it from here." He turns towards Gilbert and I again. No doubt giving us silent commands, "get the girls away."

"As you wish, Julius… We'll…" I can hear Gilbert's voice breaking but he quickly regains his composure, "We'll keep everyone safe for you. We swear it."

"Gil… Please, we can't just…" Ciel, although no longer sobbing, pleads with Gilbert to take her side.

"Ciel, sweetie, come on." Nana bends down to Ciel's level. "We need to do as Julius said." I walk over to the two of them. "You're one of us, Ciel, and you always will be. We have to do this. So please, stay with us. Be brave for Julius." I bend down beside the two of them and place a hand on Ciel's back.

"We must go." I try to be as sympathetic as possible without losing my own voice to my sadness. I take her hand as Nana takes the other and we gently coax her into standing. We all turn to Julius one last time. For we know the chances of him surviving is almost 0%.

"Julius… Good luck." Yuno speaks up.

"You'll need it." I chip in. I don't care if the chances are against him, I just need to hope that he will survive. Ciel and Nana turn away.

"Thank you, all of you, for believing in my strength. Even now…" As he speaks, all I can do is offer a smile. "Thank you, all of you, for trusting me. I give a nod of my head before turning around as well, Yuno joining me in walking with the others.

Without warning, the five of us are brought back into Friar, or more specifically Friar's garden, wherein the two Devouring Apocalypse branches continue to fight and break through the roof. They continue to spiral around each other, going miles up into the air. Amazingly, within a matter of moments, the two Devouring Apocalypses' branches form a large tree-like structure. The structure then shatters towards the top where it begins to suck in energy again. Although this time, it isn't the usual sort of energy but the energy derived from the red rain. The black plague marks that once covered Yuno's body suddenly rises into the structure, joining more of its kind into numerous blue streams of energy. These streams congregate in the middle where they seem to form something I can only describe as a weird flower that is in between the stages of germination and flowering. Within the Friar's garden now exists Julius' inactive God Arc.

"It' time to return home now, guys. Julius has stopped the Devouring Apocalypse and seemingly also cured Yuno of the black plague." I comment and the rest of the group only now get a good look at Yuno now that her marks have disappeared.

"Wow." Nana speaks, short of breath. "Julius, you're so amazing!"

Arc I: The End

A/N: Happy holidays everybody!

I wanted to get this Arc finished before Christmas. I will be continuing with the rest of the story, but don't expect any story driven chapters for a while. The relaxing part of this journey is coming up next. I will say that you should expect a few surprises though. I've a few things planned.

Thanks for reading through the entire story up until this point. I started it on the 3rd of April and have only completed one Arc over 8 months. I didn't think it would take that long, to be honest.

Special thanks to Leawright who constantly reviews this story. It's great to hear from you and thanks for the wishes.

Anyway, stick around for more.


	68. Chapter 68 (Short) - Checking in Pt 1

Chapter 68 (Short)

DISCLAIMER: I DO NOT OWN THE GOD EATER FRANCHISE HOWEVER I DO OWN MY OC.

Also, please leave a review!

Name: Cedrick Esparza  
Gender: Male  
Hairstyle: Style 7 (Dark Brown)  
God Arc: Paige Blaze (Short Blade), Sniper P (Sniper Rifle), Kurogane Tower A (Shield)  
Blood Art: Fatal Riser IV

One week has passed since the two Devouring Apocalypses intertwined to create the Spiral Tree, as it has been named. Arriving back at the Far East Branch after that mission, we were amazed to hear that the patients confined to the Infirmary with the black plague had been healed. Julius hadn't only cured Yuno of the black plague, but everyone in the world. Our opinions of Julius couldn't get any higher, and yet it was a sad reminder that he couldn't be here with everyone right now. But I have faith. One day, we will see Julius again, and when that day comes, we're bringing him home with us. Unfortunately, not everyone held the same hope I did and still have. Ciel retreated to her room after the mission, no doubt to let her emotions out in private. Nana gave me a sad look before following her. Meanwhile, Gilbert headed off to do his own thing. I suspect he began to work on his God Arc again as he always looks for a way to improve it though. I, on the other hand, was forced to give Director Sakaki the mission report.

After giving him the report, and receiving his condolences about Julius, I headed back to my room. It would only be a few hours later when I would receive numerous updates on my terminal asking me to share my profile to a lot of news outlets. Even if I did though, I bet that the director would want me to keep it strictly between the Far East Branch.

And so, the week went by quickly. The director had given Blood some time off. It is up to us as to when we return to battle, but the director did say to try and hurry seeing as how he wants us in top shape in the event that any psions need defeated. Thus, I only took a few days off. This left the director with an option in case any psions did show up, and they did; which brings us to the present. Only Gilbert and I have returned from our holiday as the two girls need more time to heal the wounds in their hearts. I couldn't ask for a better opportunity to see how Gilbert is holding up.

"Back in action, eh?" I ask him, albeit a bit too late seeing as how we're already out on the battlefield which is the City of Mercy.

"Yeah." A short response followed by an awkward silence. Thankfully, Gilbert must have noticed it too. "I tried to drown myself in work; trying to improve my God Arc even more so that I wouldn't think about it." He stops in his tracks. "But that's when I realised that it would be better to let it out of my system now before it could cause any trouble." A smile crosses my face.

"That's a wise decision, Gil."

"How about you?" Gilbert asks me, although I expected it, it still surprises me. "How did you deal with it? Obviously, you have, otherwise you wouldn't be here." He is right. I wait until we walk into the chapel before I answer, mainly because I hadn't thought about how I would answer it.

"I tried to do the same thing you did; drown myself in work. So, I tried to create more bullets." We walk into the next room of the chapel. "Surprisingly, I create a few good ones. I documented 4500 damage points with each one. The best part is, it only uses 35 Oracle Points." I boast to him, changing my Arc to Gun Form to fire one of my new bullets. It isn't very decorative, just an orb which clings to the target, my target being a large rock, and I move my gun 90O to the right before shooting. As soon as the bullet leaves gun, rotates in the air where it collides with the orb. "So now, even if I am nowhere near my target, if that orb is still clinging onto to it, I can fire from anywhere and it will be directed towards it." I keep a smile on my face as my Blaze bullet destroys the rock.

"Nice!" Gilbert gives an enthusiastic response. "You've gotten pretty good with the Bullet Editor, haven't you?"

"Don't worry, Gil. I've created similar bullets for your assault gun." I see the smile on his face extend.

"Thanks!" He shows how grateful he is.

"I'll transfer it to you now." I comment as I find the recipe for the Assault Gun variants of my new bullets, stopping just outside of the chapel. After the transfer he thanks me again before we keep walking, heading towards area L.

"And after that?" Gilbert insists on me continuing my story.

"After that, like you, I realised that I won't be able to get over it by overworking myself, so I took up a few solo missions to let it out of my system."

"So this isn't your first mission since returning. What did you beat up to let it out of your system?" He asks, curious as to how I can be so calm right now. I bet his blood is boiling, his skin itching for battle.

"On the first day I returned to battle, I fought against a Vajra." I comment simply.

"A Vajra? On your first day back? That's impressive." Gilbert comments, impressed by my abilities but I disregard it.

"Then yesterday, it was two Ukonasara."

"Haha, I remember the first time you were up against one." Gilbert comments, bringing up bad memories of meeting Emil and cowering under my shield before finally getting some spunk and fighting back. "And now you've beaten two in the same day. It's remarkable really. We've all come so far." Again, I disregard Gil's comments.

"And today, we'll be up against a Yan Zhi. Speaking of…" I whisper the last part as we enter area N. I hear the sounds of scratching from within the area. Lo and behold, the psion is there. Gilbert and I make short work of it.

With the mission being completed, in under five minutes should I add, we headed back to the Far East Branch. Gilbert is right. We've all come a long way. We've improved significantly. It wasn't too long ago when it took five of us to kill a Yan Zhi; now the two of us have killed it in under five minutes. Well, Gilbert did most of the work, I killed all of the Zhou Wangs that appeared but did help Gilbert when I had the chance too. It seems as though getting all of his anger out in this mission was good for him. I know now that Gilbert has gotten over the recent events. That leaves two more people I need to check in on.


	69. Chapter 69 (Short) - Checking in Pt 2

Chapter 69 (Short)

DISCLAIMER: I DO NOT OWN THE GOD EATER FRANCHISE HOWEVER I DO OWN MY OC.

Also, please leave a review!

Name: Cedrick Esparza  
Gender: Male  
Hairstyle: Style 7 (Dark Brown) 

Instead of visiting one of the girls straight after my mission with Gilbert, I decided to wait another day to try and think of how I will cheer them up. But who should I see first? Ciel seemed to be the one in most distress, but I have something special planned for her. Truthfully, I want to leave Ciel for last to go through my plan. However, the last time I had to cheer Nana up, I dragged her out on a mission. A mission that almost cost my life. Honestly, I don't want to be in that situation again. This time, I think I'll try to help her from within the safe walls of the Far East Branch. Thus, with my plan thought out, I leave my own room and head to the lounge…

"Mutsumi, hi!" I greet her as I take a seat at her counter.

"Cedrick!" She returns my equally enthusiastic greeting. "What can I do you for?"

"Do you remember a while ago, when Nana was upset about her Blood Power and I decided to make her an Oden sandwich?" I ask her in the hopes she can remember. If not, I'll try to refresh her memory.

"Yeah, I remember that. You want to make her another Oden sandwich?" She questions me and a smile crosses my face.

"You're an intelligent nine-year-old. I don't really want to remember what I was like back when I was nine years old." I comment with a smile.

"Thanks! But I'm sure you weren't as bad as you sound." She speaks kindly.

"Enough about that though." I quickly redirect the train back onto the tracks, "It's not as Oden sandwich I want to create, but a one of my own." I give her a smile, a pleading one at that.

"Hmm… I think I should supervise you while you're making it. I don't want you to start making weird things like Nana does." Mutsumi says with a grimace, I wonder if Nana has made Mutsumi try her food. My eyes light up.

"That sounds like a good idea, Mutsumi!" I see the colour drain from her face. "I'll make roulette sandwiches! Just like Nana did with those sweats!" I remember how she got us all to taste the sweets that she made with weird flavours.

"If you do that, I'm going to have to charge you for all of the ingredients you use." She speaks in an attempt to put me off, but I was having none of it. I merely smile wider.

"Of course! I didn't expect you to let me do this for free." I express with joy. The idea Mutsumi gave me is truly a great one. I know how much Nana likes her food, and how much she likes the idea of gambling with flavours. This is the perfect way to cheer her up. Mutsumi gives me a questioning glance.

"20,000 Fenrir Credits for the first hour, and an additional 5,000FC for each additional hour." Mutsumi explains, and I don't complain. Although, I did think she would have charged me for each individual ingredient. No matter, she must have seen my enthusiasm and decided to be lenient on me. Nevertheless, I get to work, moving behind the counter to get started.

"Wash your hands first!" Mutsumi demands, and I do exactly that…

After one hour, I've only created 4 types of sandwiches, making 3 of each type. Thus, 12 sandwiches in total.

"You're pretty slow, but I don't mind." Mutsumi smiles at me, she knows that the slower I am, the more money she will get. I've only used normal ingredients at the moment and still need to think of what I will use for the other sandwich types.

"I think I'll make it an equal chance. 5 horrible sandwiches, 5 normal sandwiches." I comment.

"The way you're making them, they're all going to be horrible." I'll admit that Mutsumi's words do sting a little, even if she is joking.

"Do you have any idea for what I'll use for the remaining types of sandwiches?" I ask as I grab the last normal ingredients I want to use.

"Hmm… There are some leftovers from the meals I cooked yesterday, I guess you could use that." Mutsumi gives me an idea for one sandwich. "As for the others, I'll have a look around. Do not continue making sandwiches without me!" She shouts before running away. I wonder if she's just as enthusiastic as I am about this. Hey, wait a minute!

"You don't trust me to make sandwiches without you being here?! It's not like I'm cooking anything!" I shout after her, but she has already run out of the lounge.

"She's right though. It took you an hour to make 12 sandwiches? It's clear that you're a beginner." I don't need to turn around to know that it is Erina talking to me.

"Thanks for the vote of support, Erina." I still don't turn to face her.

"What are you doing this for anyway?" She asks curiously. This time I turn to face her.

"You know about what happened with Julius, right?" I wait for her to respond before continuing. She gives a nod of her head. "Nana and Ciel are still depressed about it. This is to cheer Nana up. Ciel is next on my list though." I slump into the seat, silently wishing that Mutsumi would hurry so I can continue.

"Oh." She says as she now realises my motivation. "And are you okay?"

"Yes, I'm fine. Thank you." I relax into the seat. "I've dealt with it. Hence why you see me now." Part of the reason why I decided to hurry back to the frontlines was so that I could still carry out my instructor role for her and Kanon. The latter of which had given me a message to give updates about her missions and asking me for advice on a few things related to training. Of course, I sent her replies, but I haven't actually seen her around the den for the past few days.

"Good. Good." Erina says earnestly before an awkward silence fills the air. "Well, I'll leave you to it." I get the feeling that she wanted to continue talking to me, so I don't know why she left so suddenly. Regardless, I guess I'll wait for Mutsumi by myself.

Eventually, Mutsumi returned with a lot of weird ingredients and I was able to make some weird sandwiches. A total of 30 of them and it took three hours. Before I could take the sandwiches, I had to pay Mutsumi 30,000FC. Thankfully, I still have plenty more money, but I hope that I don't have to waste such a large amount again. Wait. It's not a waste if I can cheer Nana up with them. Now, it's time to see if they will…

I knock on Nana's door three times before asking her name.

"Nana? Are you in there?" It doesn't take long before she opens the door. As soon as she opens the door, I march in, leaving no room for protests. Although, she doesn't protest. As soon as I'm in, I sit on the couch, placing the large sack I was carrying over my shoulder on the table, being careful not to let any of its contents spill out.

"How are you doing, Nana?" I ask with a smile. It's been days since I've saw her, yet she looks no worse for wear. Clearly, she has been eating and the likes. In fact, taking a look at her face, I can't see any tears, tear trails or even reddened eyes.

"I'm fine!" She shouts overenthusiastically. My smile disappears instantly; something which Nana notices. "I guess I'm not fooling you then, huh?"

"No." I give a sad smile as I speak. "Why don't you tell me what's on your mind?" I gesture to the seat beside me. She takes it.

"Leaving Julius likes this, it feels like we've sent him to his death." She cradles her knees. "We went in there with the intention of stopping the Devouring Apocalypse and then we were going to bring Julius back with us, like you said." She brings up the fact that I said it before we actually left for the mission. I decide that she's talked enough.

"Nana, how about we play a game?" It was more of a statement than a question as I unpack each sandwich and put them on the table in a symmetrical format: 6 rows of 5 sandwiches.

"Huh?" I understand her confusion, especially since this game includes food.

"On the table," I begin as I place the last sandwich down, "are 30 sandwiches. 15 of which have normal ingredients, while the other 15 have abnormal ingredients. The winner will be decided when their opponent can no longer continue eating." I accidentally let out a sinister smile, I quickly reel it back though.

"Hmm…" She seems to be giving the game a think over. "Okay then." She says and moves her hand towards one of the sandwiches. Her hand hovers over the fourth sandwich in the third row and I feel the corners of my mouth twitch upward. As quickly as they do so, however, they stop twitching as she moves her hand to the third sandwich still within the third row. She picks it up and takes a bite out of it.

"A lettuce sandwich? Hmm… Pretty nice." She says with a small smile. I wait until she finishes it before taking my turn. I instantly reach for the first sandwich in the fifth row, knowing that it is a lettuce sandwich.

"Hmm… lettuce, same as you." I feign surprise before consuming the rest of it. "Your turn." Without thinking, Nana reaches for the sandwich closest too her, the first sandwich on the sixth row… And she takes a bite. I smile wildly as her face twists and contorts with each reluctant bite. I can't help but laugh at her.

"A pure lemon sandwich! Hahahahaha!" I struggle to keep my laughter to a minimum. After she finishes, she gives me a competitive glare. "It's your move." I admire her determination to win this game. Honestly, it's quite thrilling to see such a smiling, competitive glare directed at me. I quickly select my next sandwich; the fifth one in the first row.

"Hmm… Another lettuce sandwich. I guess that's all of the lettuce sandwiches gone now, huh." I knew instantly that it was a lettuce sandwich. Little does Nana know that I've actually rigged this game. All of the sandwiches that are normal, I've bent the bun slightly. I smile as Nana takes her turn. And picks up another abnormal sandwich.

"Eugh! That is disgusting!" I laugh as she sticks her tongue out.

"Give up?" I ask through laughs. Somehow, she finds the strength to finish the sandwich.

"You know, I think you're finding this all too easy." She glares at me with that determined smile. Has she found out that I've been cheating all this time? "How about we start selecting our opponent's sandwiches?" She grins wider. I think she has found me out.

"We could. But I didn't incorporate that into the game. It's not in the rules." I desperately try not to let her have her way. Surely, she knows that by picking her sandwiches, I will pick all of the abnormal ones. So, why does she insist on this?

"Rules are meant to be broken. Come on, this is more fun." She protests, still with a devilish smile.

"Okay then." I crack under it. Nana raises her hand to select my sandwich and, regrettably, she picks one of the unmarked ones. I prepare for the worst as I take it from Nana, unsure of what it is I'm about to eat as I made these sandwiches so that you can't see their contents unless you lift open the top half of it. Deciding to get it done with sooner rather than later, I shove the whole thing into my mouth. It almost comes back up. I can tell instantly due to the sliminess of the sandwich that it was made of octopus tentacles.

"Eugh!" My reaction mirrors Nana's previous one with her sandwich and she laughs just like I did.

And so, we continue selecting each other's sandwiches. I clearly pick all of the abnormal ones I could while she still doesn't know what my cheating method is and randomly picks each one. I seem destined to win. That is until my 12th sandwich. I take it from Nana and, like I have done with all of them since she selected mine, shoved it into my mouth. Just like the first one she selected, this one is very slimy, but I know that all of the tentacle sandwiches are gone. That just leaves one other thing. I rush from my seat and into her bathroom where I throw up a tentacle-less octopus.

"You win!" I say in between vomiting into her toilet, ignoring her laughter.

"Yay!" She shouts enthusiastically. "I beat you at your own game! I should say though…" She trails off and I turn towards her, wiping my mouth from the vomit that threatened to escape. "You've given me a lot of ideas for my restore pill creations." She smiles sweetly, but that's the scary part.


	70. Chapter 70 (Short) -Checking in Pt3 Ciel

Chapter 70 (Short)

DISCLAIMER: I DO NOT OWN THE GOD EATER FRANCHISE HOWEVER I DO OWN MY OC.

Also, please leave a review!

Name: Cedrick Esparza  
Gender: Male  
Hairstyle: Style 7 (Dark Brown)

"I can't believe this." I groan as I walk through the Outer Ghetto. Two days after playing sandwich roulette, I found the stomach power to start on cheering up Ciel. Of course, I also had to find the courage to do so. I already had an idea of how I would cheer Ciel up, but it is risky. It could either work and everything goes smoothly, or fail and everything ends. That's why, I had to seek out advice, and who better to get advice from, than the guy who knows a lot about women, Haruomi. "I didn't think you'd actually come out here and scout a spot for me." I turn to him.

"Haha. Of course. I want this to go smoothly for you. I can't let you go out blind. You need to know where the best spots are." He ignores my groans. I had hoped that he would just give me an idea of where to look, not that he'd actually accompany me to find them. I sigh before responding.

"Well, are we close to anyone of these spots yet?" I look to our surroundings. I notice that a lot of people are staring in our direction, but I try to ignore it. Other than the people though, there are quite a number of shops.

"Almost. I want to help you get something that would be best for value." So Haruomi plans on making me buy something for Ciel? I don't have a problem with that, but I doubt that Haruomi knows about Ciel's tastes.

Surprisingly, I was wrong.

"How did you know Ciel would like these?" I ask him with surprise written all over my face. Haruomi had taken me to an average looking shop and showed off one of the things inside of it.

"Are you kidding? I know the tastes of any woman just by looking at them." Haruomi boasts, and I highly doubt that is true.

"I'll take them." I inform the person behind the counter.

"That'll be 10,000 Fenrir Credits each." I blink my eyes in surprise. There has to be five here and I've just said I'll take all of them.

"Okay." I grumble and prepare the money, receiving the items from the cashier. "Do we have anywhere else to go?" I ask Haruomi, dreading his answer. If the first place we've visited cost me 50,000FC, then I don't want to think about how much the rest of the places will cost.

"Of course. There's still a lot to go!" I grumble even more. By the time we're finished, I'm going to be left with no money at all.

After 6 more hours of spending large amounts of money, I realise that Ciel won't necessarily be needing all of these gifts.

"Why did you make me buy so much?" I complain as I carry about ten bags on my arms.

"We've got to prepare you for all of your anniversaries. Women like that sort of stuff, you know." I stare at him unbelievably. "You have about 8 years' worth of anniversaries in those bags." I wait until we get inside of the Den before I react. I carefully place all of my items on the floor that cost about 1,005,000FC on the floor before walking up to Haruomi; and punching him in the jaw.

"Ow! What the hell was that for?!" He shouts in surprise that I would actually hit him.

"You made me by 8 years' worth of anniversary gifts! I'm not even sure if she'll say yes!" I seriously consider hitting him again, but decide that he's not worth it.

"Of course, she'll say yes! I've seen how she looks at you!" He protests but I ignore him.

"Thanks, Haruomi." I speak venomously before picking up my shopping. "Thanks a lot." I head back to my room with a bunch of gifts that may never even see the light of day.

In the end, Haruomi was barely any help. The first gift that he pointed out was probably the best, so I can't say he was no help at all. Regardless, I continue to lie on my bed, thinking about how I'm going to cheer Ciel up.

*Sigh* "I guess there's only one thing I can do." I get up from my bed, making sure to put the gift into my pocket. I head out of my room and towards Ciel's.

"Ciel?" I knock on the door. "Are you in there?" I ask.

"Cedrick?" I hear Nana's voice on the other side of the door, and then hear her footsteps as she walks towards it. "What are you doing here?" She asks in surprise.

"I'm here to cheer Ciel up." I whisper to her.

"Oh. Well, you're more than welcome to try." She steps out of the way of the door. "Do you want me to stay?" She asks, and I give a shake of my head.

"No thanks, Nana." I dismiss her offer to stay and help and she leaves the room. I look around in Ciel's room. "It's pitch black in here." I speak, slightly exaggerating before switching the light on. As soon as I do so, I see Ciel, lying face up on her bed, react to the light despite having an arm covering her eyes. I walk closer to her and crouch down beside her head.

"Hi Ciel, how are you feeling?" I know that Ciel has known Julius the longest out of all of us and as had more contact with him as well. She was assigned to be his body guard back at the orphanage they were raised in, Magnolia Compass. Despite what she has previously said, she must have had some sort of attachment to Julius. It may not have been friendship, but maybe they were at least acquaintances. This probably grew to becoming friends after she joined Blood and interacted more with everyone. Thus, there's no doubt that she is probably the most upset. Ciel doesn't answer me.

"Ciel, I want you to come with me."

"Where?"

"I want you to help me in creating a new bullet." I speak of my intentions of bringing her to the training room. Maybe she can start her healing process the same way that Gilbert and I did by drowning herself in work. She doesn't move though.

"Ciel, don't make me switch to plan B. You won't like it." I try to threaten her into moving, despite the fact that I don't really have a plan B, nor a plan A for that matter. I'm just winging it. Again, she doesn't move. I don't know why though. It's obvious that she wants to go somewhere with me. Why else would she ask for where we're going? "Last chance, Ciel." I am met with the same response.

"Okay then, you asked for this." I know very well that she didn't directly ask for this. Regardless, I lean over her prone form, slipping my hands under her body, and then my arms. I use my legs to push me off of the floor and take her with me; carrying her bridal style.

"Cedrick?!" She says in surprise, removing the arm from her face as she desperately tries to release herself from my grip. She flails wildly, I know that she doesn't want to hit me and I use this to my advantage. I pull my arm closer to my chest, this makes her roll towards me – and make something else roll towards me as well. Two soft, yet firm air cushions. Her balloons pushing against my own chest. I can't deny that I am aroused by this, but this isn't the time for that. Despite the heat rushing to my face, I attempt to ignore the fact that her breasts are against me and walk to the door. "CEDRICK!" She shouts as she realises I am undeterred by her attempts to escape. She attempts to wiggle out of my grip again, but I hold her tighter.

"What's all the noise abou-" Nana cuts off her question as she realises the predicament we are in. Thankfully though, she opened the door for me.

"Thanks Nana, do you think you can call the lift for us?" I ask her as sweetly as I can.

"What are you doing?" She asks before rushing towards the lift. Ciel, now having been seen being carried bridal style by someone, no less one of our team mates, decides to no longer put up a fight and resorts to putting her hands over her face in embarrassment. I smile at the cute act.

"I did warn you, Ciel. I did tell you that you won't like it." I speak with a small chuckle at the expense of her. She must definitely be turning red by now. As the lift doors open, I step inside with Ciel in my hands.

"Where to?" asks Nana with a smile on her face, whom I actually forgot about.

"The roof." I smile in response.

"I guess this is your punishment, Ciel. You shouldn't just ignore our captain like that." Nana speaks to Ciel, bending next to Ciel's face as she does so. Ciel doesn't respond which amuses me even more. "But why the roof?" Nana asks me in confusion, standing up straight again.

"I have my reasons." Honestly, I don't know why I chose the roof. I just didn't want to get embarrassed for the situation that Ciel and I are in, and if we went anywhere other than the roof, we'd both be embarrassed. Honestly, I'm glad that, out of all people, Nana was the one to open the door. Anyone else and we would have been even more embarrassed. Wait a minute…

"You said this is Ciel's punishment for ignoring me. How did you know that?" That must have meant that she was listening to us from the door; spying on us.

"Yeah… Haha… Funny story…" Nana begins just as the lift doors open on the roof. I step out, with Ciel still in my arms.

"Well then?" I turn around and expect an answer from Nana, only to see the lift doors close with her still in it. She gives a little wave before the lift descends. I should probably punish her for spying on us. Oh well, at least we're alone now. I look out towards the roof to find the best spot. It takes a few seconds, but I find a great spot. The only bad thing is that we have a clear view of the Spiral Tree where Julius is. Actually, this could be a good thing. I set Ciel down onto the ground and sit down next to her. I watch as Ciel curls herself into a ball.

"Why did you bring me up here? And in such a fashion?" She mumbles, with red cheeks.

"As for how I brought you up here. Consider it a punishment." I smile as sweetly as I can. "But I brought you up here, so you can get some fresh air. Look at the sky, Ciel." I comment. The sky is dark blue and numerous stars light it up. I look over to Ciel to see if she is viewing it. She isn't, but I expected that. "You want to be punished again." She doesn't respond. I think she likes my style of punishments. "Okay then." I stand up from my spot beside her, and sit behind her instead, moving her into my lap. I feel her tense up at the situation and it causes my own nerves to skyrocket. I've been so daring recently, and I only now realise that I'm nervous? Wow. Well, it seems to be working for me so far. "Tell me how you feel, Ciel. This is a command." It takes a few seconds, before I decide to squeeze her around the midriff.

"I guess…" She begins with a sad voice. "It's just the four of us now, huh?" Blood, she means.

"At the moment, yes." I tell her softly. "But Julius still lives inside of that tree. Do you remember the last words I said to him?" I ask her.

"You told him that he will need the luck that Yuno wished him." She answers quickly.

"Yes, and I know that he has that luck. Despite everything that's happened, he's always been a lucky one. He's lucky to have friends like us; friends like you who would mourn that we can't see him." I tell her. "More importantly though, he's lucky because we will find a way to rescue him." I tighten my grip on her midriff.

"But how? Fenrir has limited our investigations on the Spiral Tree…" She protests.

"It will take time, but I know that we will rescue him… one day." I tell her softly, but with a determined voice. She doesn't respond. Instead, we continue staring at the sky, Ciel now joining me in doing so. Nevertheless, for the sake of comfort, we don't move from our positions.

"Ciel, this behaviour doesn't suit you…" I whisper to her. "Nana's been trying to help cheer you up too. She doesn't like this behaviour either. Gilbert too. He wants us to fight as a team again. Even I don't like this behaviour. I want the normal Ciel back. The determined Ciel. The Ciel that fights for her friends. The Ciel that isn't afraid to tell me what's on her mind. And the Ciel… that loves to use the bullet editor." I release one of my arms from her midriff to reach into my pocket for my gift. I bring them to meet her eye level. Five beautiful silver bullets hanging from a chain; a necklace. "They're silver bullets. They match your eyes." I comment softly.

"Cedrick…" I hear her voice waver and feel my arm growing wet. She's taken my arm and decided to wipe her tears on it. They don't stop though.

It takes a few minutes before she does stop crying, and I put the necklace around her neck.

"I want to see the Ciel that is happy when she is around her friends. The Ciel that gets uncontrollably excited when working with Blood Bullets. The Ciel who can rival the greatest of tacticians…" I whisper into her again. "For those are just some of the reasons why I love you."

A/N: This is one of my first attempts at a chapter like this. Please don't rate too harshly.


	71. Chapter 71 - Shattered Bullets

Chapter 71

DISCLAIMER: I DO NOT OWN THE GOD EATER FRANCHISE HOWEVER I DO OWN MY OC.

Also, please leave a review!

Name: Cedrick Esparza  
Gender: Male  
Hairstyle: Style 7 (Dark Brown)

" _I want to see the Ciel that is happy when she is around her friends. The Ciel that gets uncontrollably excited when working with Blood Bullets. The Ciel who can rival the greatest of tacticians…" I whisper into her again. "For those are just some of the reasons why I love you."_

I feel the heart explode onto my face. I'm not used to talking like this, which is why I am so nervous about it. I'm pretty sure Ciel is nervous about this as well. Not just because of how I spoke, but because of what I spoke. It's highly likely that she didn't expect this, but this is how I was hoping to cheer her up. My special plan had involved me confessing my feelings. However, it could go one of two ways. The first way, and the more preferable way, would be for her to return my feelings and we'd become a couple. The second way would more than likely scar the both of us: she doesn't return my feelings and we continue on awkwardly. She said I'm her first friend, which means that she hasn't fallen out with a friend yet. It could be me that she does fall out with if she doesn't share the same feelings I do. But I hope that's not the case. What is Ciel's response?

Each second feels like an hour as I anxiously, yet eagerly, await her reply. My heart beats erratically. It only increases in pace once I realise the position we're in. I can feel the slenderness of her waist as the large size of her bra rests on my hands. Surely, she must have noticed as well? Surely, she must feel the same way in order for me to get so close to her. She tenses. Has she only just realised? She puts her hands on mine for only a second, before prying them away from her. I feel a pit in my stomach. A feeling I have become very familiar with in the past few weeks: dread. She stands up, quickly moving a short distance away from me before turning towards me. When she does, I see how red her cheeks are. If she's embarrassed, then she must feel something towards me. Yet, I still feel dread. Why Ciel? Don't torture me like this.

"I… I – er – um – Captain, I don't think that – we should – er" She is clearly embarrassed, but before I can say anything, she turns on her heels and runs to the stairs' door. I could have chosen to run after her perhaps even beat her by taking the lift. Yet I stay rooted to the spot. My legs unwilling to run. It is now that I realise, I'm alone…

As the realisation hits me, so too does the chilling wind; and yet, I do not care. I lie against the ground and stare at the stars, wondering where I went wrong. What had I said to make her run away from me? Was she just nervous? Unsure of what to say? Unsure of what feelings, if any, she has for me? She must feel for me in some way, she accepted my gift after all. Silver bullets on a chain as a necklace. The perfect gift for a girl that spends a lot of time in the Bullet Editor. She didn't refuse them. Surely, she feels something towards me…

I hear the lift doors opening and I sit up quickly; too quickly, causing me to feel lightheaded. I quickly ignore it though as I stare towards the lift doors. From inside my stomach, I feel hope. Hope that Ciel had returned with an answer. The answer I am looking for. However, as soon as I realise that the person is not Ciel but holds a familiar looking necklace with broken bullets on them, I begin to feel water drip down my cheeks.

Kanon's POV

"So you want me to fight off the smaller Aragami while you and the others take on the Vajra? I can be more help than that! I have an Oracle Reserve, you know!" I express my disbelief at Haru's orders.

"Yeah, I know you do. That's why I want you to fight all of the smaller Aragami by yourself. Apparently, this Vajra is leading some sort of army of smaller Aragami, so it must be really strong. I don't want you to hurt yourself fighting it." Haruomi tries to reason but I'm not having it.

"But-"

"Please, Kanon. It should be easy for you with your Oracle Reserve. You can store a whole lot of Oracle Points and use them to kills all the small Aragami almost instantly. As soon as you've done that, you can give the rest of us some support." Haru interrupts me and it sounds like he has his heart set on this plan. I slump my shoulders.

"Okay, Captain Haru." I say dejectedly before heading towards the God Arc Storage Warehouse that keeps my Arc.

"Thank you, Kanon. I promise you'll be able to be the main lead someday." Haru shouts after me, but it means nothing. I've been a God Eater for years now and I'm still not able to be the main lead in battle. I wish I had never left the 1st unit, then I can be with my boyfriend half way across the world. I wouldn't be feeling depressed all the time that I cannot see him, and wouldn't need an instructor because I would be able to shoot perfectly fine. My boyfriend did fix that problem for me. The only reason the problem returned is because he isn't here.

*Sigh* "I guess I shouldn't complain. There are still people nice enough to help me with my problem." I try to reason with my depressing thoughts. "I should probably grab my Arc now."

After grabbing my God Arc, I headed straight towards the roof; opting to take the lift rather than the stairs. As I approach the lift though, I hear heavy thuds on the stairs. I decide to see what's causing all of the noise, only to see the white shirt of somebody as the speed down the stairs and out of sight.

"Huh? What was that about?" I can't help but think out loud. "Well, I'll be sure to hear about it eventually. Probably by rumours but still. Wait a second… rumours about a person in a white shirt running down the stairs at this late at night… Could it be a… ghost?! My heart begins beating twice as fast as I do a quick skim of the stairs. There is no sign of that white shirted person anymore, but there is something shiny further up the stairs. I approach the shiny thing and am surprised to find it to be some sort of broken necklace.

"Maybe this is what the ghost is summoned by? Or what it's looking for?" I think aloud again as I scoop the necklace into my hands. "Maybe this belongs to the Ghost. The bullets here are what it was killed with." Shivers crawl up my spine and into my shoulders. "Should I take it? Maybe I can find some way to give it back to the ghost…" I debate with myself on whether to take it or not. In the end though, I decide to do just that. If the ghost is looking for this, then maybe, after my mission, I can ask if anyone knows anything about the ghost and work from there. I smile to myself as I formulate a plan. I grip the necklace in my one free hand, the other carrying my God Arc. Which reminds me,

"I'm going to be late for my mission!" I shout and quickly look up the stairs. There are still a large number of stairs to climb and that could waste much needed energy, meaning I'll already be out of breath before the mission starts. "I think I'll go by the lift instead." I quickly descend the small number of stairs I'd already ascended before going to the lift, pushing the button for the roof…

As the lift comes to a stop on the roof and the doors open, I see my very desperate looking instructor also on the roof. I step out of the lift where its doors close and descend. I approach the desperate looking Captain of the Blood Unit when I realise something seems a little off. He's since turned his head away from me and take to staring straight ahead of him, seemingly looking at the helicopters on the roof. As I get within a few metres of him, I see why I thought something was a little off. I can see the light reflecting off of tear trails on his cheeks. Has instructor been crying? I quicken my pace to him and sit down right in front of him. He continues to staring towards the helicopters, and now me, and I realise he hasn't been crying, he is crying! Albeit, silently.

"Cedrick? What's wrong?" I ask of him informally and softly. If I were to say 'instructor' things might be a little bit too formal for the direction this conversation will be heading in. As I speak, he look downwards, as if informing me that something is definitely wrong. "Cedrick… I can't help you if you don't tell me what's wrong." I really want to help him, but I can't yet. I don't know why he's crying.

"I gave that to Ciel." He mumbles but I heard it, barely. I look to where he's pointing as well and realise that he's pointing at the necklace in my grip. So that must mean that this necklace belongs to Ciel, but why was it on the floor. "I confessed my love to Ciel." He looks up into the sky and speaks more easily. Something I may be able to use. "Keep staring at the sky, Cedrick. What do you see?" Maybe if I can distract him from this situation while I try to piece together what happened, he'll be able to calm down.

"Stars… So many stars…"

"That's good. That's good. What else?" I ask him to continue thinking about a different subject. So Cedrick confessed to Ciel. Ciel must have refused, but that wouldn't explain why she was running down the stairs so fast. I know that Cedrick didn't follow her, so she couldn't have been trying to escape him; but Cedrick isn't the type of person to force a woman to do that. So Ciel must have ran down the stairs for a different reason. And how did I find the necklace on the stairs? If Ciel refused it then Cedrick should still have had it. But he clearly hasn't moved from this spot.

"The moon… I suppose, if you look really closely, you may be able to see a planet or two." Cedrick speaks again, taking me out of my thoughts.

"That's a good answer… Cedrick, how long have you been up here?" It's not a question directly related to Ciel, but it may give me an answer.

"Maybe an hour or two." He answers, still looking at the sky. I doubt it would take that long for anybody to confess so maybe him and Ciel were up here for a different reason… But what is it? I'm going to have to ask; but should I ask him, or ask Ciel.

"Cedrick, it's getting late. I think you should go back to your room now." I tell him softly, not wanting to make him feel like I don't care about his pain. I do have a mission to go on though, "I'll visit you soon. Right now, I need to go on a mission." I tell him before standing up. I help him to do the same as I offer my hand. He takes it, and stumbles towards the stairs.

"Maybe you should take the lift?" I ask him. I didn't realise how badly a rejection can hurt a boy. Of course, I wouldn't know the feeling. My first and only love is my boyfriend, so I've never been rejected. Maybe I can use my own relationship to help Cedrick. Well, I guess I'll have to think about it after the mission… I'll go and check up on Cedrick after it…


	72. Chapter 72 - Both sides of the story

Chapter 72

DISCLAIMER: I DO NOT OWN THE GOD EATER FRANCHISE HOWEVER I DO OWN MY OC.

Also, please leave a review!

Name: Cedrick Esparza  
Gender: Male  
Hairstyle: Style 7 (Dark Brown)

Kanon told me to go to my room, and that's what I did. She sounded so full of pity, and I hated it. I hated how she felt that she needed to pity me. Be that as it may, I know that she cares about me. She cared enough to try and take my mind off of my rejection, telling me to look at the sky and tell her about it; distracting me from the events that transpired earlier. However, my mind may be distracted but my heart will not be. Even now, my heart feels like it has broken in two. How do I mend it though? Not even time could heal these wounds…

"Instructor?" I hear Kanon's nervous voice from outside of my room, yet I do not speak for the fear of finally breaking down and wailing; something I do not wish to do in front of my student. "Cedrick?" she speaks again, and I do not answer. Instead, I cover my eyes with an arm, already knowing what's going to happen next. I feel the light from outside of my room as it invades. Kanon said that she'd check up on me after her mission, so I left my door unlocked. As quickly as the light invades, it fades, meaning that Kanon's closed my door.

"I'm here, Cedrick, like I said I would be." I feel her sit down on the bottom of my bed, near my prone form.

"Indeed, you are." It's all I could say. After all, I'm not really sure what happens next.

"You're not asleep?" It sounded more like a question, but I suppose if the person you are talking to doesn't answer and has their eyes closed with an arm over them, it would be logical to assume you're asleep.

"You seemed sure of that." I don't hesitate to comment. It's only now that I realise that I sound kind of harsh.

"I kind of knew you wouldn't be asleep. I doubt you could sleep something like earlier off and wake up the next morning feeling fine." Kanon responds logically, and yet quickly. Has she already thought through what she is going to say? Or does she already have experience of this? Regardless, it seems like she is here to do more than check up on me; I remove the arm from my eyes and sit up on my bed.

"You'll probably want to know the whole story, yeah?" I ask for confirmation. She said it herself that she'd need to know what happened in order to help me. A brisk nod of her head is all I need for confirmation and it's strangely reassuring at how determined she is.

"For the past few days, I've been trying to cheer up my unit and get them to return to combat." I stop there, finding it quite ironic that I've been cheering up people and now need cheering up myself, "I left Ciel to last. I decided that I'd take a risk and try to cheer her up by confessing to her. I went into her room very confidently…" I trail off slightly, trying to fight off the tears that threaten to fall down my face.

"Mhm." Kanon hums, telling me that she's following my story.

"She was very reluctant though and in the end, I decided to carry her out of her room, just to get her out of there, y'know?" It was a rhetorical question, so I didn't expect an answer. "With a bit of help from Nana, Ciel and I went to the roof. There we had a chat about Julius and the Spiral Tree, then I gave her the necklace and confessed" I can feel the lump in my throat now, "we sat together for what felt like a very long time and then she ran away and then you came up with the necklace I gave her and-"

"It's okay, Cedrick." I feel her hand on my hair. I hadn't realised it, but as I explained what happened, I must have lowered my head, that's when I feel my trousers growing wet; looking at them, I realise that I've been crying again. This time though, slightly more hysterically. Honestly, I almost feel like crying more for being in such a state like this. "I know what happened from there." She reminds me, and I merely nod my head as I try to calm myself down. A few seconds later, she removes her hand from my head and grows silent, more than likely to think about her response.

"She didn't say she rejected you, did she?" I look at Kanon incredulously. Is she clinging to every small detail like that?

"No… but why would she break the necklace I gave her?" It pained me greatly to see the gift being smashed in half; the very gift I thought was perfect for Ciel; and what does she do with it? Breaks it only moments after I gave it to her. Kanon merely smiles at me.

"Come on, Cedrick. Do you really think Ciel would intentionally break the necklace you gave her?" She looks at me as if I'm an idiot, and right now I feel like one. I doubt Ciel would break a gift for her, but if I've ruined our friendship, then it wouldn't surprise me if she did do it deliberately; something which I make sure to tell Kanon.

"Cedrick, you are her first friend… do you think that Ciel is capable of doing that to you? She told me about how you saved her from the Red Rain a long while ago, before we even met." I'm surprised that Ciel would tell anyone about that. But how did I forget about it. It was that which awakened her Blood Power. I roll my head towards the floor, not wanting to answer her. I can feel her radiating smile.

"I'll tell you what…" I raise my head at her voice, "I'll see what I can do, try to get some sleep for now, Cedrick." She stands up and I just stare after her as she leaves. "Good night, Cedrick." She says before leaving my room, closing the door behind her.

"I didn't expect that…" I mumble before falling against my bed, trying to do as she says and get to sleep.

Kanon's POV

I don't really know how to help Cedrick at the moment. I had to leave his room in order to think properly. Looking at the usually bright but now depressed Cedrick is depressing in itself. I do believe that Ciel wouldn't intentionally hurt Cedrick. After hearing everything from him, I think that maybe everything was moving too fast for Ciel and she became nervous, but I don't understand how the necklace was broken. I'll probably need to talk to her before I can do anything. I doubt she's been able to get to sleep because of this situation; I'll give her a visit now. After all, I am already within the Blood Section; her room should be nearby.

"Ciel? Are you in there?" I ask as I knock on her door. As suddenly as I knocked, the sound of many things falling in her room can be heard. "Ci-" I go to repeat, but then the door opens, very slightly. I can only just make out her eye. Hope dwells up within me as I see that it is slightly red. She's been crying? But why would she be crying? Does this mean that she didn't want things to go the way they did?

"Kanon? What are you doing here at this hour?" She widens the door slightly. Slightly. I can't force my way into her room to talk about what's happened like this. From within my pocket, I grab the remains of necklace and show them to her. I see her one visible eye widen slightly before she moves a hand to her neck and feels around… I smile inwardly.

"I found this on the staircase. I think it's yours." I push my hand through the small gap between the door and the doorframe, meaning that unless she wants to hurt me, she won't slam the door on me, for whatever reason. Right now, I need to trap her. Trap her into talking to me.

"I-It is." She stutters.

"Don't you want it back?" I ask as she stares at the necklace I shake slightly. "It's a really pretty necklace, did you buy it? How much was it worth?" I ask her, trying to start a conversation. The way she's looking at it, she mustn't have meant to drop it, meaning that my thoughts of her being too embarrassed may be right. Clearly she still cares for Cedrick if she's claiming ownership of the necklace.

"It… was a gift." With her guard down, I step into her room and take her by surprise. She immediately jumps backwards, and I close the door to her room. Now that I'm in it, I just need her to talk about what happened.

"Really? Who gave you it?" I move closer towards her as I speak.

"Uh… Cedrick." I can see her turn red as she says his name.

"Instructor gave you this?" I feign surprise. "Why would he give you a gift?" I see Ciel beginning to turn even more red.

"It was just a gift. Nothing more, nothing less." I become confused at her response. We both know that Cedrick gave the necklace to her as he confessed, but Ciel doesn't know that I know about it.

"Hmm? But why would he give you a gift?" It took a few seconds to think of that response, but Ciel turns red again. I have her on the ropes, I just need her to comply. A few seconds of silence pass by and it doesn't look like Ciel is going to answer. "Maybe he gave you it for a reason. Wow! What kind of reason could it be though?!" Again, I pretend that I don't know about it. Ciel is really difficult to open up. I can see why it took her a while to warm up to people, and that was only due to Cedrick's effect. Regardless, she did tell me about how Cedrick saved her from the Red Rain, so why won't she tell me this. "Maybe it was a love confession!" I squeal, smiling from ear to ear, and yet, I observe Ciel's reaction. I see her visibly jump. "That's it, isn't it?!" I move closer towards her, almost into her face.

"What did you say?! How did you respond to him?!" I rephrase the same question over and over again until she responds.

"I… ran away."

"Huh?" I lose my smile at her words, again faking surprise. "Why did you run away?"

"It was all going too fast. And I honestly believe he deserves better than me…" Not for the first time today I grow confused at her words. My theory about everything moving too fast was right, but why does she think so little of herself.

"Tell me everything that happened Ciel." I sit on her bed, suggesting that I'm going nowhere until she tells me.

10 minutes of explaining later, Ciel finally seems to be succumbing to fatigue. I simply tell her that we'll continue the conversation in the morning. Honestly, I was beginning to grow tired myself. I was suddenly added to the late night squad so I've been up for almost 24 hours. I leave her room, quietly closing the door. As I turn around, I look towards Cedrick's room and see it slowly close. He might have been listening in on what Ciel and I were talking about before he finally felt like he needed to go to sleep. Well, I think I should have a long night's rest before moving forward with this situation. One thing I know for sure though, I, Kanon Daiba, will be playing matchmaker.

It isn't even dawn when I wake up to an emergency signal…


	73. Chapter 73

Chapter 73

DISCLAIMER: I DO NOT OWN THE GOD EATER FRANCHISE HOWEVER I DO OWN MY OC.

Also, please leave a review!

Name: Cedrick Esparza  
Gender: Male  
Hairstyle: Style 7 (Dark Brown)

After Kanon left, I attempted to fall asleep. Despite how much I tried, I couldn't. I couldn't take the fact that my first love; my first unsuccessful love is a member of my own unit. What's more is that her room is only a few doors away from mine. I couldn't take it. I felt like I was drowning at the bottom of a lake, the only sound being my own heart beating at a decreasing pace. But as I reached the bottom of the lake, I realised, I could _accidentally_ listen to Kanon and Ciel as they talk…

Outside of Ciel's door, I manage to hear the two of them talking.

"It… was a gift." I hear Ciel mumble.

"Really? Who gave it to you?" I see what Kanon is trying to do; baiting her into talking, but I can't help but feel sorry for Ciel. The first step to any problem may be to admit it, but that doesn't mean that I have to like it. Still, I keep my ear to the door and continue listen.

A short while later, I hear something. Actually, I don't hear anything. It was just after Ciel said that she ran away and Kanon faked her surprise that nothing happened. As quickly as I was beginning to feel hope, it disappeared. I walk away from Ciel's door and walk out of my unit's quarters. Right now, I need to be far away from here. Far enough so that I can forget. And so, I walk out of the Den and walk out of the Outer Ghetto.

I finally come to a stop at what I deem to be a far enough distance. I just kept walking and walking until I found a great spot I could be alone. A ledge that overlooks a small lake. The calm water glistens under the moonlight, making for quite a serene sight. I take a seat on the edge, letting my legs swing over it. I try not to look directly down; I already know that I am on a cliff, so looking down would probably make me panic. Besides, by looking at the water, I can tell roughly how far up I am. Approximately, 15 metres; although that's just a guess. Regardless, I lie back against the cold, hard ground and look up at the sky. The same sky I was staring at earlier, the same sky Ciel was staring at earlier; only this time, the Spiral Tree isn't in this direction. I didn't think that my confession would lead me out here. I didn't plan what would happen for if she rejected me. Honestly though, I don't think any plan I made would help me out of this situation. I sigh.

"I wonder how their chat is coming along." I think aloud, hoping that Kanon is learning something about what happened. If she isn't, I hope that Kanon is trying to make everything all right between us.

"I hate it though; having the middleman trying to make everything okay again… I'm a disgrace to men everywhere." I'm not the first man to have my love reject me, yet I may be one of the first to be such a disgrace. Instead of following my love and expressing how I truly feel without any corny pickup lines, I sat and cried. "I wonder how Haruomi gets over rejections." With the way he acts, he must have been rejected plenty of times if he's still searching for a woman. He probably uses a phrase like, 'you need to be rejected plenty of times before you succeed.' I admire his determination, but if you confess to plenty of girls, then surely it isn't true love… Actually, I wonder if this is what I'm feeling right now,

"Is Ciel… really my true love?" With this revelation, I sit up quickly, "Is what I'm feeling just a crush?" My heart starts beating at a faster pace. "Maybe the whole thing with Ciel just isn't meant to be. Maybe, my true love is still out there, somewh-"

"GRAAA!" I turn behind me to see the hungry faces of a group of Ogretails.

"Shit."

Kanon's POV

The emergency broadcast repeats, "All available God Eaters, Blood Unit Captain Cedrick Esparza demands back up from an unspecified area. He doesn't have his God Arc with him- " That's all I needed to hear before rushing from my bed. Cedrick… What have you done now?


	74. Chapter 74 - Thalassophobia

Chapter 74

DISCLAIMER: I DO NOT OWN THE GOD EATER FRANCHISE HOWEVER I DO OWN MY OC.

Also, please leave a review!

Name: Cedrick Esparza  
Gender: Male  
Hairstyle: Style 7 (Dark Brown)

After what feels like an hour of staring into the mouths of a herd of Ogretails, I finally snap back to reality and go to grab my Arc. When I feel nothing though, I begin to panic. My heart beats irregularly, something which I'm not a stranger to after the past few hours.

"GRAA!" They get closer to me, becoming more intimidating as they do so. There is no possible way for me to defeat any Aragami without my Arc.

"Shit." I utter again. "Whoever's listening," I speak through the earpiece and microphone set, "I, Captain Esparza of the Blood Unit, request immediate back up." As I speak, I'm forced to back up. "I'm without my God Arc, so if someone could bring it to me, that would be great." I finish as I continue backing up, but then I feel no ground beneath me. With a quick look, I realise that it's highly improbable that I would survive a fall from such a height into the water. It would almost be like splatting on concrete. However,

"I'm not going to die. I'm not going to give up." There are still people that need me back at the Branch. My unit, even if it will be a bit awkward for a while between Ciel and I, will still need me. They can't afford to lose another member. Kanon and Erina need me to help them with their training. Kota and Alisa, I provide some kind of support for them. They know that they can count on me for help, as does the branch director. More importantly though, "I'm not going to die to the same monsters that killed my parents. If I die here, their sacrifice will be in vein. And I will not allow that." Rather than jumping from the edge, I allow myself to fall off it, quickly trying to grab onto anything that I can. As I fall, I scratch at surfaces and can feel my blood dripping down my fingers, but it is a small cost in order to save my life. One thing is for sure though, I'm safe from the Ogretails, but not against the water. I don't bother to look down as I know that it would waste time I cannot afford to spare.

With the greatest of luck on my side, I manage to come to a stop by holding onto a rather sizeable ledge that my feet missed to land on. However, the ledge isn't stable enough to hold my weight forever. At least now if I fall into the lake, I can survive from this height without any injuries, but now another problem arises. I fear open bodies of water like this. Sure, they may look nice, but you won't find me ever wanting to take a dip in one. This fear developed due to the fact that I cannot swim, or open my eyes under water. I'm very aware that water such as this could be haven to many aquatic based Aragami such as the Gboro-Gboro; and that is more of a threat than a herd of Ogretails. I look around the cliff for anyway that I will be able to escape. To my dismay, I find none; Nothing at all. There's no way I can ascend the cliff, that may attract the attention of that Ogretail herd. My only option is to scale around the cliff and hope that I see a beach, or a cave for that matter; anything that I can use rather than a cliff.

"Why didn't I take my Arc?" I mumble to myself before attempting to grip onto the nearest, sturdiest rock. However, being a recluse for most of my early life after my parents' death, I didn't go outside much; much less going rock climbing. So, I fail. And fall into the water.

Time seems to slow down dramatically as I fall into the water. I know that I will survive the fall, it's my own buoyancy that I don't trust. I hold my breath as I plunge into the water, my eyes gripped tightly shut due to my fear. Immediately, I extend my arms in an attempt of finding the cliff face. I only panic when I can't feel it though and I become very aware that I'm not breathing. I put a hand over my mouth and nose in an effort to stop breathing automatically. However, my air is running out, and I need to breathe. I force my one good eye open to see where I am. I look upwards to see that I'm not too far to the surface and thus, try with all my might to swim upwards. I force myself to let go of my mouth and nose and use my arms to propel me upwards.

My vision grows darker and becomes exceedingly more so, but just like earlier I refuse to give up, despite my most despaired way of dying being due to asphyxiation. I get closer and closer until the surface and burst out of it and take a deep gulp of air.

*Pant* Pant* Pant* Pant* Pant* I breathe quickly to fill my cells with enough oxygen to support my arms as I move them to keep me afloat. As I find my breath, I look for the cliff edge, which is a lot easier to do when above water than below it, and I try swimming towards it. It should be a lot easier to scale the cliff from ground level, however, that means I pretty much need to find a beach in order to escape the water. I have less chance of finding a cave now, after all, and the longer I am in the water, the more likely I am to attract the attention of aquatic Aragami. Once I reach the cliff, I use it to support me and swim to the left, hoping that I really will be able to survive.

Haruomi's POV

I was shocked to hear the emergency broadcast about Cedrick. Honestly, I should have known something was up after I saw him stumble out of the lift before my mission. It doesn't take much to know why he ran outside though, although he should have brought his God Arc with him if he needed time away from the branch. I knew of his intentions to confess to Ciel, so I now what her answer must have been to make Cedrick be so reckless. A heartbroken man is a reckless man, after all. I felt the same way after Kate died. Well, after Gil complied with Kate's wish to kill her because her Armlet had broken. Thus, the Aragami infection had started. I did hold a grudge against Gil after that, honestly, I still hold something against Gil but it lessened as he, Cedrick and I defeated the Caligula that was responsible for the death of my fiancée. I just need to give Cedrick the same comfort that he gave me to help him through his rejection.

"Has anyone found anything yet?" I ask.

"Nope. Nothing." Kota informs me. He had taken the 1st Unit out to search for Cedrick. I lead the 4th Unit; Kanon and I, whilst Ciel leads Cedrick's own Blood Unit. I didn't see them back at the Den as they had set out straight away, though I can imagine exactly how they feel. All except Ciel though. Is she distraught? Upset that Cedrick felt that he needed to get away from her? Or does she just think that Cedrick was overreacting? I guess I'll know when I see her.

"Nothing yet, but we will find something!" I like Nana's encouraging reply. But if she's the one who is replying, does that mean that Ciel doesn't have the confidence in her voice to answer?

"That's the spirit, Nana!" I comment before turning off my earpiece.

"I should have known he would have done something stupid." A depressed Kanon makes her feelings known.

"No, you shouldn't have." I tell her in an attempt to cheer her up. "You have no experience of what he was going through. You had no way of knowing."

"I saw that his door was slightly ajar before I decided to go to sleep. I could have just popped my head through the door to see if he was alright." Kanon expresses her thoughts.

"Kanon, it was late; it still is." I comment, although, I probably should say that it is early now that the sun is beginning to rise, "Your sleep deprived self would have been begging for asleep. You probably subconsciously knew that. Cedrick also felt that to some degree. He is sleep deprived, yet he couldn't sleep. So, he couldn't think properly and went out without his Arc. That's why we need to find him as soon as possible." I try to cheer her up, I gage her reaction to see if it has. She raises her head, no longer looking at the ground and seems to have found some determination.

"Yeah. You're right." She doesn't sound very enthusiastic but at least she doesn't look very depressed anymore. Just fatigued. Needless to say though, if I were to tell her that it wouldn't be unknown for us to be looking for a corpse by now, that would just depress her even more; not to mention mentally scar her.


	75. Chapter 75 - We've found Cedrick!

Chapter 75

DISCLAIMER: I DO NOT OWN THE GOD EATER FRANCHISE HOWEVER I DO OWN MY OC.

Also, please leave a review!

Name: Cedrick Esparza  
Gender: Male  
Hairstyle: Style 7 (Dark Brown)

Ciel's POV

Every passing second that my group and I are searching demotivates us even more. After I ran from Cedrick, I realised that I had probably broke him, but I couldn't find it within myself to check on him. I'm such a bad friend. I made my first ever friend cry, Kanon informed me about it. After everything Cedrick has done for me, I upset him terribly. It's part of the reason why I couldn't see him earlier. The other part is that I'm too embarrassed. I made a shameful display of myself and Cedrick saw it. At least I didn't see him cry, that probably would have broken me.

"Nothing yet, but we will find something!" I admire Nana's attitude. I know that Gilbert feels the same way as her. Quite honestly, I'm relying on their positivity at the moment which disgusts me even more. I can't even find the mental strength to stay positive for Cedrick. When I heard the emergency signal about Cedrick, I was almost crushed. I know deep in my heart that Cedrick wanted to get away from me, and that's why I feel so bad. If I had just given him an answer, he wouldn't have felt the need to run away. I hope.

"Blood Unit, I'm detecting a Type 1 Deusphage ahead." Hibari informs us through our earpieces.

"And? Get someone else to do it. We're busy searching for our Captain." Gil responds quite harshly, and I would know. It's the smallest actions that cause the greatest upset.

"Don't… Gil."

"The Blood Unit is the closest group to the Deusphage. The others can search for Captain Cedrick while you fight it." Hibari attempts to reason, but Gil isn't having any of it.

"Why should the others have to search for our Captain? They can't possibly know much about him or where he's more likely to be! We can-"

"Gil, stop!" I can't stand hearing Gilbert shouting at Hibari any longer. She's just doing her job. She probably doesn't like this situation either.

"Why?!" He shouts angrily, but I won't crumble under his anger. That doesn't mean I know how to answer him though.

"Don't you think that the Aragami would have moved by the time someone else comes by?" I say the first thing on my mind. It's quite a good reason actually.

"Ciel, what's with you lately?" Gilbert asks from out of nowhere.

"What?" His question catches me off guard and I turn to face him.

"I would have thought you'd have been the first person to search for Cedrick. Instead, you were one of the last." He walks closer to me. "Why was that? Your very first friend goes missing and you sit on the fence expecting others to do the work?"

"Gil…" Nana almost whimpers. It seems like the whole unit is falling apart without Cedrick, or maybe it's just that we've already lost two people; we don't want to lose another.

"After everything that's happened with Romeo and Julius, you don't think that something similar will happen to Cedrick? Like he's invincible or something? Are you forgetting that he's just as human as the rest of us? Ciel, he lost an eye to a disease long thought to be extinct. If he's that unlucky, he may even be dead right now!" Gil's anger was clear, he really didn't want to fight any Aragami when our Captain is missing. I could feel my eyes growing wet but I blink back the tears. Gilbert just walks straight by me, leading the way to somewhere; probably to search for Cedrick.

Yet, just 15 minutes later, he leads us to the Type 1 Deusphage; a Susano'o, and it doesn't take kindly to us strolling into its feeding grounds.

*sigh* "I was hoping we wouldn't run into it." Gilbert sighs before flicking his Charge Spear to his side, preparing for battle. I gage Nana's reaction to see if she'll choose to attack up close and personal or ranged. She doesn't change her Arc's form from her Boost Hammer, giving me my answer. I change my Arc to my sniper and attack from range as the other two charge towards the Borg Camlann look-a-like. I sigh. I didn't expect my returning battle to be against such a difficult opponent.

Cedrick's POV

My arms and legs grow more tired as I continue swimming very close to the cliffside. Eventually though, just as my muscles feel as though they can't continue, I spot a beach. I smile through pants as I make my way towards it, finally escaping from the water. The first thing I do when I reach land, is flop like a fish on it; loving the feeling of land under my feet.

"I'll never take you for granted again, ground." I sigh in relief, and sit down near a large rock to get my energy back. This time though, instead of staring at the lake, I move my head routinely to observe my surroundings; looking out for any Aragami. I don't want to be surprised like I was earlier.

An hour goes by when I believe it's time to move. I should have regained some of my energy and I know that the God Eaters back at the Branch will be searching for me. Honestly though, I hope that it isn't my own unit that find me first. That means I'd have to confront them about what happened, and I doubt that Ciel has said anything. Actually, I suppose I could lie to them. Though that would leave me with the regret of having to lie to my friends. Regardless, I just need to find some God Eaters first. Out here, without my Arc, I'm a sitting duck.

I walk through what seems like an endless forest. I push all of the overgrown plants and dangling tree branches out of the way, and continue doing so for what feels like a very long time. That is until I come to the end of the forest, and am met with a herd of Ogretails. Thankfully though, they didn't hear me emerge from the forest.

"I'm surprised there are no larger Aragami around." I whisper to myself, knowing that with this many Ogretails in the area, it's only a matter of time before they become food for a large Aragami. Then again, there's no way that one Aragami would be able to kill all of these Ogretails, let alone eat them. Regardless, I had better get moving. I won't be able to fight off all of these Ogretails either. There must be 30 of them! I look for a route through them all and find that by following around the outskirts, I should be able to avoid them all. I proceed one small step at a time.

10 minutes away from the Ogretail herd, I stumble upon another forest, and that's when the hunger pangs hit me. Rather than going straight through the forest, I keep to the outskirts in an attempt to find some fruit trees. Sadly, despite my efforts, I find none. That's when I hear noises, I turn behind me and see that the Ogretails are in the distance. Before hiding, I decide to pick up a few large rocks on the ground. I jump into a rather large bush and watch as the Ogretails close in on the location.

After another 10 minutes of waiting, the Ogretails don't seem to be moving forward. Instead, they seem to want to stay in the area.

"GRA!" One of the closer Ogretails roar and heads towards me.

"But how?!" I scream inside my head, knowing better than to voice my thoughts. There's no way that the Ogretail actually saw me, and yet, the Ogretail closes the distance between us; my eye locked onto the monster. Just before it puts his head in the bush that I'm in, I indiscreetly throw one of the rocks I picked up earlier at an area of space a long way from me and the bush. The noise it generates makes each Ogretail near it, as well as the one that was heading towards me, head towards where the noise came from. That's when I hatch a plan.

"I have a chance of getting you all away from me, once and for all." I whisper and quickly run into another bush slightly further away. After reaching this bush, I run to another, again slightly further away. I do this a few more times, before I throw another rock an even greater distance away; the rock falls 100 metres away. I repeat the process of switching bushes until I throw my last rock about 500 metres away. I thank the fact that my Bias Factor gives me a strength increase and smile as the Ogretails head towards the sound. However, I hear a sound I really didn't expect to hear, and my heart drops into my stomach…

Ciel's POV

Despite being unorganised, the three of us manage to defeat the Susano'o with minimal injuries, and I take a sharp breath. We can finally get back to looking for Cedrick. I just hope he will forgive me for all that's happened. Once again, Gilbert leads us as we continue moving forward.

We continue walking for a few hours, and just as the sun is about to set, I see the silhouette of a figure in the distance.

"Cedrick?" Gil speaks up before he starts running towards the figure. Nana and I run as well. As we get closer, it becomes clear that it is Cedrick. Suddenly, many feelings explode into my heart and I sprint towards Cedrick, overtaking Gilbert and take him in a massive hug. Surprisingly, he doesn't fall under my force.

"Cedrick! I'm glad you're safe!" I whisper into him and I let the tears fall down my face, pushing my head into his back. If he feels it he doesn't let on.

"Cedrick!" I hear Nana shout happily before feeling an arm on my back. I look to see Nana had taken Cedrick and I into a cuddle of her own.

"Cedrick, there was nothing you could do. You didn't have your Arc, after all." I hear Gilbert speak sadly, which confuses me greatly, before feeling Gil put a hand on Cedrick's shoulder. I angle my head and see Nana crying, but they don't look like happy tears. I turn to see Cedrick's face to see why they both sounded so sad. What I saw in Cedrick's face scares me. He looks forward, never once moving a muscle, except for his one good eye which is as wide as it possibly can be. I can see clear tear tracks on his cheeks, making me sad that he's been crying and secretly hoping I wasn't the cause. He grits his teeth.

"No Gil, I'm the one who led them to their death." He says with no hope in his voice at all. I move my head to see what he is talking about, only to see a small group of Ogretails surrounded by scattered body parts. "I'm the indirect cause of their death." Cedrick says before collapsing to the ground. How did I only notice this massacre now?


	76. Chapter 76 - Aftermath and Resolution?

Chapter 76

DISCLAIMER: I DO NOT OWN THE GOD EATER FRANCHISE HOWEVER I DO OWN MY OC.

Also, please leave a review!

Name: Cedrick Esparza  
Gender: Male  
Hairstyle: Style 7 (Dark Brown)

Kanon's POV

Things should have returned to normal after Cedrick was found by his unit. Sadly, it didn't. Cedrick took three weeks off of his duty, leaving his unit to have to go under the command of another Captain; usually Captain Kota. What I don't understand is why Cedrick feels the need to take so long off. He didn't take this long off after Romeo's death. He didn't take this long off after Julius' situation either. So why is he taking so long off now? I want to return to my training under him, and I'm sure others are missing him too. I can understand taking a few days off but not three weeks!

I know that his unit is beginning to miss being under his leadership. Heck, they're beginning to miss him! He rarely leaves his room. I think the only reason he does leave it is to go to the bathroom. Which is why, like Cedrick did for his unit and like they've attempted to, I'm going to cheer him up and bring him out of his room.

"Cedrick?" I knock on his door a few times but don't get a response. However, I know that he is in his room. What I don't know is what he is doing. "If you're not going to answer me, I'm going to assume you're sleeping and walk in anyway." A bit of a weird threat, but I want him to acknowledge me.

"I guess it's your turn to try, huh?" I turn my head slightly to see Nana standing at her doorway. She must have only just appeared there because her door wasn't open before.

"What happened to him anyway?" I ask, clearly Nana was getting more and more depressed about Cedrick. The only way to solve that is to bring Cedrick back to us. Yet, I can't do it if I don't know what happened. This can't all be because he was rejected by Ciel, right? He isn't doing all of this to get back at her, I hope.

"I'm not too sure myself." She looks to the ground, leaning against the doorframe and crossing her arms across her chest. "We found him in front of a lot of corpses." That made a chill run down my spine. That in itself is a scary and depressing sight, I know from experience although I've only seen a few corpses here and there. Regardless, I get the feeling that Nana wasn't finished. "He kept mumbling about how he is the one who caused their deaths. He still does. I was in his room only an hour ago to try to snap him out of his weirdness. He just stares at the wall and mumbles to himself, almost as if we aren't there. We've tried to get him to notice us by many ways, but they never work. If we can manage that, maybe he will listen to us. Or even, tell us what happened." Her voice was beginning to waver, just telling me that Cedrick has been ignoring his friends upsets her greatly. That reinforces me earlier thoughts that Cedrick isn't just doing this to spite Ciel. He must have been mentally and emotionally damaged from the sight before him on that day.

"I'll see what I can do, Nana." I briskly walk to her side to put my hands on her shoulders, to tell her I'm here for her. She smiles slightly at me, I can tell it is fake though, before he turns back around and enters her room. Now, I'm even more determined to bring Cedrick back to us. I turn to his door and turn the handle.

"It's locked?" I say aloud.

"Oh, yeah. You'll need the spare key from the Director." Maybe I had spoken a bit too loud as Nana opens her door to tell me that before quickly closing it again. So, Cedrick locks his door now? Or is it just a safety precaution set up so that he doesn't go missing again? Either way, it looks like I'm going to need to go to Sakaki's Office.

I don't even bother knocking on Sakaki's door and just walk straight in.

"Can I have the key to Cedrick's room?" I walk right up to Sakaki's front desk. We've known each other for a while, and after the events with Shio a few years ago, we've become closer. We're at least close enough that we don't need to beat around the bush. He does still owe me a few favours for keeping quiet about he hid Shio in his laboratory as well. Actually, I may need to use one of them to bring Cedrick back to us.

"Ah, Kanon. It's good to see you're as lively as ever." He comments as he searches his drawers behind his desk. "Trying to cheer up your instructor?"

"Yeah, I don't suppose you know of anything I can do to cheer him up?" I ask as he hands me the key to Cedrick's room.

"Unfortunately not. I'm not a miracle worker." He says with a sigh. I know it's difficult for him to have the Captain of the Blood Unit being unable to fight. Cedrick is probably the main reason why his plan to stop the Devouring Apocalypse worked due to his Evoke ability. Also, Cedrick's the Captain of the unit that handles psions. Without him, the other Captains that lead his unit have to rely on the other Blood members as they cannot actually fight the psions. They can only give advice.

"You have no idea how to help him?" I ask, just to be clear.

"The only thing I can say is that time heals all wounds. But it's already been three weeks… Bring the key back when you're finished." He informs me, ending the conversation and I head out.

Without even knocking, I unlock Cedrick's door and walk straight in, taking the key with me, of course. I close the door behind me before walking over to Cedrick, taking a seat on his bed. I take a few seconds to observe Cedrick. He has his back to me, with his head against the wall. I can only assume he's staring at it.

"Cedr-"

"it's my fault." I hear him mumble. I guess Nana was telling the truth about that then.

"Cedrick, it's about time you return to battle." I speak, but hear him mumbling "it's my fault" over and over again. Without a second thought, I put a hand on his shoulder and tighten my grip on it. That should make him aware of me.

"What happened, Cedrick?"

"It's my fault." He mumbles again. It's clear I'm not getting anywhere with this. I get off his bed and walk around to the other side of it, hoping to put myself between him and the wall. He'll have no choice but to face me that way.

As I do so though, I notice his eyes widen and I almost cry at his words.

"Kanon died because of me." I don't know what to think about it. All I can do is put my hands on his shoulders and shake them.

"I'm not dead, Cedrick!"

"Kanon died because of me!" Cedrick shouts this time, his teeth gritting together. I'm not getting through to him. I hear the door to his room open but I continue to shake him, that is until I feel a pair of hands on my own shoulders that drag me away from Cedrick. I look to see the person who pulled me off the bed. It's Gilbert.

"I understand what you're trying to do, Kanon." He tells me in a relaxed tone. "But making him stare at a person will make him believe that he killed that person."

"What? Why?!" I shout, almost in fear at how serious the situation is. As I wait for Gilbert's reply, I turn to Cedrick who has immediately calmed down.

"He blames himself for the death of those people we found him in front of. I can only assume that he sees the faces of those people wherever he goes; they haunt his mind. And if somebody he knows enters his line of sight, he must think that they're part of the people that were killed." I listen intently to Gilbert's words. They're very disheartening and fill me with fear. Cedrick's even more scarred than I originally thought. I stand up from the ground, Gilbert having already let go of me after I was out of Cedrick's line of sight.

"How do you know that?" It was a stupid question really, but I only noticed how stupid it was after I had said it.

"When we saw Cedrick that day, we ran to him. He was visibly shaken from the sight of those corpses. When I kneeled down to his eye level, he said the exact same thing. We were shocked and didn't know what was going on. So, Nana tried to comfort him, again coming down to his eye level. He said the exact same thing to her, then to Ciel. Even the other God Eaters that we came across; Kota, Emil, Erina… The medical staff… He's been hurt deeply." Gilbert sounded calm as he explained. I had to ask him why.

"How are you so calm?"

"After three weeks of the same thing over and over again, you get used to it. Besides, I know it's just a matter of time of before he's back to normal. He's safe, physically. But it will take time for him to heal emotionally."

"You sound so confident. Have you ever experienced anything like he has?"

"Not at such a large scale, but yes. Besides, you know that a God Eater's God Arc is a window into a God Eater's soul, right?" I nod my head at Gilbert's question. Licca has told me the same thing a few times. "Despite not having his Arc with him when he saw that sight, the colour of it faded slightly and grew increasingly more faded over time. Now, his Blaze attributed Arc could be mistaken for a white-freeze attributed weapon. When his Arc regains its colour, we'll be able to tell that he's over it. However, this is just a theory. It may never regain its colour. We're all hoping that it does though." With Gilbert having explained everything he did, I realise that myself alone won't be enough to bring Cedrick back to us. We're just going to have to visit him every day until he does.

A week passes by, and I've just come back from a mission and put my Arc away. I head into the lounge and see Cedrick. Surprise overcomes me and I rush over to him.

"Instructor! How about we go on a mission?!" I ask, happy to see him back on his feet.

"Of course, Kanon!" He answers me with a wide smile which makes me even happier. It isn't until I see his pale white God Arc though that my happiness fades. I hope beyond hope that he's changed it to the freeze attribute.


	77. Chapter 77 - What's this all about?

Chapter 77

DISCLAIMER: I DO NOT OWN THE GOD EATER FRANCHISE HOWEVER I DO OWN MY OC.

Also, please leave a review!

Name: Cedrick Esparza  
Gender: Male  
Hairstyle: Style 7 (Dark Brown)

A short while later, we arrive at the baron wastelands of the City of Mercy. Buildings that have long since been destroyed by the Aragami menace, and yet, many of them still wander into this area. Day in, day out, we have to battle and defeat Aragami, and today is no exception. Although, I have taken a three week break from fighting due to the trauma I suffered near these very grounds. I'll never forget the fact that I killed a small crowd of people, or rather, helped to kill them. I was only thinking about how I would survive during that time I was alone without my God Arc, and often found myself within a short distance from herds of Ogretails. Thankfully, I have my Arc now, should anything come up, but there is still something I want to do for those whose lives ended early. However, I need to take care of the dirty work surrounding us first.

"Are you okay, Instructor?" Kanon asks and I blink at her in response. "You've been staring at the sunset for a while." She points out and ends my musing. I debate whether to tell her what is on my mind. In the end though, I decide not to. I don't want to burden her with even more of my worries.

"I'm fine, Kanon. Are you though?" She had been unusually silent. So much so that I had even begun to think to myself. Usually, her active personality wouldn't allow me too, but for some reason, she's quieter than she usually is. I watch her face contort from one of confusion, to realisation and then to acceptance. It amazes me how quickly someone's mood can change. Even I'm a victim of that.

"Instructor, something's been bugging me." She informs me, head hanging in depression.

"Feel free to tell me." I inform her. After all, she has been helping me out for a while. It's only natural to expect that she'll want something in return. She comforted me as I found out that Ciel rejected me. Honestly, I'm not over that, but I do know that life goes on. Unlike the lives of those people that I accidentally killed.

"Recently, when I'm firing recovery bullets, they've come out different sometimes." She explains to me. I don't know why she is still formal with me, despite what has happened in recently. I guess she must want a student-teacher kind of friendship. Well, I won't complain. "I think my God Arc's broken."

"I doubt that, Kanon." I tell her instantly and confidently, making sure to reassure her before any doubt can settle in. Her depressed little face raises to meet mine. Dare I say it, but her expression is rather cute. "Has Licca looked at it?" I ask her.

"I did have it looked at, but Licca said it should be working fine. I don't want to be a bother, but if it happens again today, could we look into it afterwards?" She asks sadly with a pleading face. It pains me to think that she thinks she's being a bother. After everything she did for me, she has no right to act like that.

"Of course, Kanon. We'll look into it." I give her a friendly smile. She seems to think that there is something seriously wrong with her Arc. I'm going to have to observe it closely as we fight. "But first, we need to find the Gboro-Gboro." There's only one target in this mission, and it is that. An aquatic Aragami that is surprisingly fast on land. I wouldn't like to imagine how fast it can be in the water. Hence, I've changed my Arc to be a Blaze type. Burn it quick and slick, and my Arc will be eating fried Gboro-Gboro for its dinner. Though, I don't understand why it's white. Usually, my Blaze arc is red. I wonder if there was something wrong with the materials I used. Or maybe, it's just because I haven't used it in a few weeks. Oh well. With any sort of problem out of the way, we continue onward.

"Oh," Kanon speaks suddenly as we prowl around the remains of the Sunken Grid. We had received word from Hibari that our target was moving quickly away from the City of Mercy, so we were forced to follow. "I should probably tell you," I turn to face the girl accompanying me and see her pointing to my Arc, "Melee attacks are ineffective against against the Nyx Alpha." My eyes widen in surprise.

"We're against a Nyx Alpha? You should have told me that beforehand." I grumble before changing my Arc to Gun Form. Thankfully, I had decided to change my Arc to an assault gun type rather than the usual sniper gun I use. The bad thing is though, that I'm not too experienced with it. However, I do have a plan now that I know I can't use melee attacks.

"Sorry, I'd only just remembered." I clasp her hands and gives me a sad, apologetic smile. Quite frankly, I think it's too cute to ignore.

"It's fine, Kanon. Try to remember earlier next time." I wasn't too worried. If the only attacks that will work are from bullets, then I had come unknowingly prepared. The Assault Gun I have comes equipped with a bullet that costs no Oracle Points, surprisingly, and actually refills the Oracle Bar if you hit the Aragami. An easy way to get OP quickly. Plus, I do have about five OP restore pills.

"Ah! It happened again! My recovery bullets were acting really weird today." Kanon shouted as we started reviewing the mission. Honestly, I couldn't tell what she was talking about. To me, it felt like being hit with a regular healing bullet, but I did notice that I didn't really feel the effects of the Nyx Alpha's status attacks after I was hit with her bullets.

"Every time I fire, they turn out to be status recovery, but I KNOW I loaded in regular ones!" She over emphasises with a bit of a confused, yet angry look on her face. "How does this keep happening?! It's like my God Arc is mocking me…"

"Maybe they're Blood Bullets." I suggest, her bullets did have a healing property as well as the status recovery property. So maybe, the latter part mutated due to her Blood Power, assuming it has awakened.

"Blood Bullets? I don't think so. I don't really use those. Maybe I need to start over." She speaks, disheartened. I shake my head quickly.

"No, you should use them, Kanon. They're better than regular healing bullets. They heal slightly less, but they completely heal a God Eater's status, like mine in the mission. I remember how quickly I was poisoned and how I stopped attacking instantly. It felt as though I was going to vomit everywhere. Thankfully, Kanon's recovery bullets helped and I could continue. If she were using normal bullets though, I probably would have had to get her to finish off the Aragami. At least I know for next time that I should bring a few poison healing potions.

"Huh? You really think so?" She seems genuinely shocked to hear my opinion, recoiling with a hand to her mouth as if she were surprised. She soon recovers. "I guess you're right though. I mean, status recovery bullets are definitely helpful!" I nod in response. They were a big help today. "Thank you so much! I'm so sorry. I tend to get really flustered when things aren't working." Kanon bows, iving me her thanks. It's amazing to think that she can be so formal after everything that has happened lately. Speaking of which, I should probably check on my unit. I haven't really spoken to them as myself in a while. I know they've been worried. I mean, that's painfully obvious.

"Well, I think I should go and see my unit now." I inform Kanon, giving her a little wave before heading out of the lounge.

"Cedrick?!" I turn my head to see Kanon after she had shouted my name. She looks around nervously for a few seconds, before her eyes eventually fall onto the floor around my feet. I've walked a few metres away from her at this point, so I don't know why she seems to be so shy now. "What… er… what attribute was your God Arc?" I don't understand why she was so nervous to ask that question. Even now, she still doesn't look me in the eye as she asks.

"Blaze. Why?" It was a bit of a strange question to ask. Wouldn't it have made sense to ask before the mission. Nevertheless, after hearing my response, she just sighs, still not looking at me.

"No reason." She seemed a bit depressed, and as soon as I heard that voice, I knew I would be able to pay Kanon back for helping me with my own depression.

"Is something wrong, Kanon?" I walk back to her, putting a hand on her shoulder as I do so. Her head shoots up and there appears to be fear in her eyes. Her face looks to also be showing a bit of fear, of what is what I do not know. She brushes my hand off of her shoulder before briskly walking out of the lounge.

"No reason!" She shouts after her. I doubt it was her intention to confuse me, but I am greatly confused.

"I guess I should let her calm down before checking on her again." I'll check on her in a few hours or so. Until then though, I should probably check on my squad. With that, I leave the lounge.

Now, I assume that Gilbert will be working on his God Arc. So, it's a bit obvious where I should look for him; the God Arc storage warehouses. I think it would be easier to appease Gilbert. I'm not sure why I think that, maybe he's just a bit easy to get forgiveness from than the two girls. I just hope that they all can forgive me. I was kind of ignoring them while I tried to cope with my actions. So, yeah, Gilbert should understand.

I walk into one of the storage warehouses and enquire about Gilbert's presence to one of the members of the maintenance crew.

"Gilbert? Yeah, he should be in Blood's section of the warehouse." The thought kind of scares me that we have our own section of the warehouse. I assume that it is where we can customise our Arcs, but since I usually ask someone else to do it for me, usually a member of the maintenance crew, I've never had to go in there. I doubt Nana customises her Arc at all. It's just the same hammer in every mission. Ciel tends to focus on Blood Bullets, so she may need to use the section a few times. So, I imagine that it's pretty much Gilbert's section, seeing as how he uses it the most. I walk into the area of the warehouse where my unit's Arcs are stored, but I see something concerning.

"What are you doing to my arc?!" I shout at the two maintenance team members that have put my Arc on some sort of transporter. Of course, they can't pick it up, so they had to use a machine. Nevertheless, as my anger comes across, the two members seem to almost cower in fear at my sudden presence.

"Ah, _Captain_ , impeccable timing." I hear Gilbert speak, and moments later, he turns a corner and comes into my field of vision. He doesn't stop there though, instead coming over to me and getting me into quite a strong headlock. "I need you to come with me." His voice sounded sinister, and I'd be lying if I said that I wasn't scared…


	78. Chapter 78 - The path to recovery

Chapter 78

DISCLAIMER: I DO NOT OWN THE GOD EATER FRANCHISE HOWEVER I DO OWN MY OC.

Also, please leave a review!

Name: Cedrick Esparza  
Gender: Male  
Hairstyle: Style 7 (Dark Brown)

Gilbert almost drags me further into the workshop area assigned for my unit, and I can hear the two maintenance team members behind me as they bring my Arc into the workshop. I grab Gilbert's arm with a hand and squeeze,

"You know, if you wanted to help me with my God Arc, you could have done it without being so rough." I give a faint chuckle, trying to find humour in what Gilbert is doing. He keeps me in within his grip though, not giving me a chance to get loose.

"I just had to make sure you wouldn't escape. We have a lot to do after all." He rubs his knuckles along my head. I'm not going to lie, it hurts, and I recoil in his grip, forcing him to let me go with an elbow to his ribs.

"Guh?!" I hear a satisfying sound of his own pain and move a metre or two away from him. "Alright, I probably deserved that." Well, at least he knew that he was in the wrong to get me into a headlock. I exhale the breath that I had held, not knowing how Gilbert would react to a jab to his ribs. As I do exhale, I realise that I had taken a prepared stance and ease out of it.

"So, why the rude way of inviting me in here?" I ask him and his smile fades.

"You back for good this time?" He asks me, the silence between our responses are deafening. It's clear that he's just trying to look out for me.

"I should be." It's all I can say really, without looking into the future to see if I will be out of action again. After that, the silence is uncomfortable, and yet, I think I'm the only one of the two of us that feel that way. Gilbert looks behind me. I follow his gaze and my eyes rest on my Arc.

"How's your Arc?" He asks indifferently. I subconsciously raise an eyebrow at that but answer nonetheless.

"It's been fine. The same as usual." I answer with the same tone.

"What Aragami were you fighting?" Again, I raise an eyebrow. Why does Gilbert want to know about that?

"A Nyx Alpha." I reply, again, with the same tone.

"I see." Is all he replies with before silence takes over. An awkward silence. I know that Gilbert isn't done talking to me yet, otherwise he would have returned to his work. His stance also says that he isn't finished with me, his arms folded across his chest and a calculating look on his face. I take the time to look over the area designated to my unit for Arc improvements. A few tables scattered across the floor, one separating Gilbert and I. A few more tables cover the perimeter of the room, with many tools on them. A terminal breaks the connection of the tables right at the back of the room. A machine sits on the table beside the terminal, probably to extract materials from the terminal. "A Freeze type Arc against a Nyx Alpha?" My head spins around to meet Gilbert's as he speaks. It takes a few seconds to understand what he said.

"No, it's a Blaze type Arc." I look back to my God Arc. I can understand why he thought it was of the Freeze attribute. It is white after all. "That's something I was going to get checked out." I turn back around to Gilbert. "How come it's white?"

"I think it will return back to a normal colour given enough time. Maybe you should go out on more missions. I think it may be because you haven't used it in a while." He reasons with a hand to his chin. He knows more about God Arcs than me, so I can't exactly say his theory is wrong.

"Maybe I should. Was that an offer for you to go on a mission with me?" I ask with a sly smile.

"No can do. I'm busy at the moment." He gestures to a table near him, but it has nothing on it. That confuses me. Maybe he just means that he hasn't started his work yet? Oh well, I should ask if someone else wants to go on a mission.

"Right, well, I'll go and ask around then." I give a wave before heading out of the workspace. I catch a glimpse of Gilbert staring back at me as I leave, still with a calculating look. I'm intrigued as to his reason why he looks so calculating, but I get the feeling that he wouldn't tell me if I asked him. This whole situation just leaves a weird taste in my mouth.

Leaving the workspace, a see the two maintenance members from before.

"Soma's returned? I guess we'll have to check over his Arc too." I overhear part of their conversation. So Soma has returned? The guy that Erina was talking about a while ago? Oh well, now that I've spoken to Gilbert, there's only two more people to go. I think I'll see Nana first. Where would she be though? I don't know much about what she's been up to lately. Is she still working on making nutritious restore pills? If that is the case, she'll probably be pestering Mutsumi in the lounge. I'll check there first.

Walking into the lounge, my eyes land on the figure behind the food counter. Regardless of the only person behind the counter being Mutsumi, I walk over to her. She may know where Nana is after all, especially if Nana has been working on more weird concoctions.

"Hi Mutsumi." I greet her with a smile.

"Oh, Cedrick?" She speaks up in surprise, placing a cup that she was cleaning down in the process. "What can I do you for?" She asks with a wide smile.

"I'm not here to eat yet." Her eyes widen slightly as I tell her this. "Have you seen Nana anywhere?"

"Nana? I can't say that I have. She seems to have stopped making up those weird restore pills. I haven't saw her do that in a few weeks." Mutsumi seems to guess the reason why I asked if she had saw Nana.

"Really? Okay, thanks anyway." I give a small wave to Mutsumi before leaving the lounge. I guess I should check her room. If she's not there, I may have to see Ciel before Nana.

Getting off of the lift at my unit's quarters, I walk through the corridor to Nana's room. I stop outside of her door and give it a few knocks.

"Nana? You in there?" I wait a few seconds and strain my ears, waiting for a response. When she doesn't I knock on the door again. "Naanaaa?" I extend the vowel sounds for effect. "Hey, you in there?" I put my hands on my hips as I realise she isn't in her room. "Where could you be?" I don't understand where she would be, unless she is out on a mission. I could ask Hibari or Fran if she is, but since I'm already in Blood's quarters, I might as well see if Ciel is in her room; just so that I don't have to double back on myself and check her room if she isn't editing bullets, which she usually would be. I move to step back, but get a sudden shiver as a pair of slender arms carefully go under my own and grip my midriff tightly as well as a large object on my back. I jump slightly in surprise and turn my head, seeing a familiar head of hair that reminds me of a cat.

"I see you're better now, Cedrick." Nana states simply, but the way she says it, makes me think that she's smiling. I'm glad that she's happy that I'm better, but hugging me may be a bit uncharacteristic of her, something which I point out.

"I am, but I think it's a bit weird to be getting a cuddle for it." Don't get me wrong, I'm complaining about it. It's nice to get a hug every now and then, I just didn't expect to get one now. So now, I understand that the object resting on my back is Nana's head, and she seems to snuggle further into it. Something which, at my age, can make me quite excited, but at the same time, nervous. "Uh, Nana…"

"I'm just glad to see you're moving around again, Captain. You don't realise how much you made us all worry." I get the feeling that she was supposed to sound scolding, but I can still imagine a smile on her face as she says that as it sounds rather warm. However, her voice isn't the only thing that's warm. I can feel her heat radiating from her and onto me. I'd be lying if I said I didn't enjoy this, and not to mention that I can feel her assets pressing against me. The way she dresses is already provocative, and the fact that she is cuddling me with the same attire makes my imagination run wild.

"Oh, Nana," It already seems like she has forgiven me for my situation of not leaving my room for three weeks, but I just remembered something that Mutsumi said. "You're not working on creating tasty restore pills?" I stop myself from grimacing as I use the word _tasty_ to describe her concoctions. I know how enthusiastic Nana seemed to be while making them, so why would she stop?

"Yeah, I'm working on a new project now." I feel her nod into my back. "I'll tell you about it once I've completed my first test." She still sounds happy.

"Oh, I'm not your first test subject this time?" I comment. It feels weird to be holding a conversation with someone behind me while looking at the door, so I do occasionally look over my shoulder to see her head.

"You can't be this time." She's still smiling.

"Oh? Is it a surprise? Am I allowed to guess?" I smile back in response, feeling a bit excited for the possibility of guessing correctly and imagining her response as I do so.

"Hmm… Maybe it is a surprise, but you're not allowed to guess."

"Oh." I say disappointedly, perhaps too much so. "Why not?"

"I want to keep it as a surprise. Just wait until it's done. I'll promise you'll be the first one that I tell about it once it's finished." She seems to enjoy this, the fact that she's still cuddling me as well as the mental torture of teasing me about her new project that I can't even try and guess what it's about.

"You must come straight to me when it's done. Okay?" I tell her, a smile on her face. She chuckles slightly in response and replies with a 'yep'.

"By the way, Nana," I speak up again after a few seconds of silence has passed.

"Hm?"

"How long do you plan on hugging me for?" Again, I'm not complaining, but I still have stuff to do. As I ask her this, I feel her grip on me becoming loose.

"You don't like hugs?" She asks, I turn around to see her and notice a raised eyebrow.

"I love hugs, but I didn't think that it would last that long." We've had a whole conversation where she's been cuddling me, after all. Strangely though, I didn't feel out of place while in her arms.

"Then I don't see what the problem is." She smiles widely, and I must admit that face is cute. However, I don't know if she's deliberately being naïve, or is just very innocent.

"People may get the wrong idea…" I try to reason, but trail off. Admittedly, I wouldn't mind if she hugged me more. However, I would much rather prefer a hug from Ciel. I remember the time when she gave me a report about Blood Bullets and explained that they can't be customised. I then suggested to fight fire with fire, which she tried and it worked. She came back to me and gave me a long, warm cuddle. If only Ciel showed her emotions more like Nana…

"That doesn't matter does it?" Does she not care if people think that we're together? I do, I don't feel for Nana that way, at least I don't think I do. I decide to change the subject, knowing that I'm not going to get through to Nana.

"Do you know where Ciel is? I need to go and see her." I ask her slowly, Nana may be a bit to ecstatic at the minute, so I want to make sure she heard me.

"Hmm?" She puts a hand to her chin in another cute gesture. Why am I seeing Nana as being cute all of a sudden? "Maybe with the bullet editor?"

"That what I was thinking too. Well, I'll see you soon, Nana." I give her a wave, and receive one back. I watch her retreat into her room before I set off to find Ciel. I'm not sure how she has been handling everything that's been going on with me lately. First of all, there was the confession. Then I go missing, and after that, I was mentally damaged. Although, I'm slowly getting over the latter part, I don't know what Ciel thinks about all of this…


	79. Chapter 79 - Whose fault is it?

Chapter 79

DISCLAIMER: I DO NOT OWN THE GOD EATER FRANCHISE HOWEVER I DO OWN MY OC.

Also, please leave a review!

Name: Cedrick Esparza  
Gender: Male  
Hairstyle: Style 7 (Dark Brown)

The walk to the training room shouldn't take too long, but in reality, with every step I take time seems to slow down. I knew from the beginning that Ciel would be the most difficult person to get forgiveness from. She doesn't have a lot of experience about friendships, and I bet she will feel like I have betrayed her. First of all, I confessed my love to her, then I ran away without my God Arc, and then I suffered from a mental breakdown. Come to think of it, I've never had a proper conversation with her since my love confession which was over three weeks ago. The fact that I suddenly dropped it onto her, and then hardly talked to her for the next three weeks wasn't the best of things to do on my part. She probably expected more of me as a friend; if we still even are. I was her first friend, but I may also be the first person she has broken her friendship with… The thought of that makes me swallow hard as I continue walking down the corridor towards the training room.

I'm a matter of seconds away from the room and I can feel myself beginning to panic. I rub my hands together in an attempt to distract me. They slip against each other easily with almost no friction. I look at my hands and realise how wet they are.

"Wow, I'm sweating to much." I comment to myself before wiping my hands on my trousers. I take a few deep breaths as well to try and calm myself. I'm sweating so much due to my panic, if I can calm myself, it will stop. After a few seconds, I deem myself to have a relevantly decent composure. I'm still sweating, but not too much.

I stand in front of the door to the training room and can hear the sound of machinery operating. It's more than likely the sound of a new bullet being created. I take a deep breath, then exhale before opening the door to the training room. As the contents of the room are revealed, it's easy to see the lone woman facing away from me due to her lightly coloured clothes. She turns her head to see who is entering the room,

"Hi Cedrick." She speaks in her usual, monotonous voice. Maybe it was just me, but I could have sworn I saw the corners of her mouth twitch upwards. So far so good. She doesn't show her emotions easily, but if she were mad or angry or anything of the sort, she'd be showing that at least. It's a bit harder for her to hide those emotions. I walk into the room and closer to her, stopping to the side of her to check what she's doing.

"Hi Ciel. What are you up to?" I can't go straight into the reason why I'm here; think about it, that's not the way a conversation works, at least in my mind it isn't.

"I'm doing the usual; making bullets hoping that they will be better than the last one." I kind of guessed that Ciel, but it's good that you clarified it.

"Need any help?" I offer my services, but

"No thanks. I don't need to test these bullets." She shoots me down quickly, but now I'm curious.

"Why don't they need testing?" I ask, raising an eyebrow in the process and trying to get a better look at the computer Ciel quickly operates.

"A simulation is installed on this computer; it analyses the damage and calculates the total amount to see which of three categories the bullet is designed for." The explanation sounds so simple, and yet I'm still lost; categories of damage? I decide not to continue with that as I'd only embarrass myself. She did also say that she didn't need the help, but now there is an awkward silence. This is the situation I wanted to avoid. We've got nothing to talk about, the only thing I can bring up is what happened recently. I wanted to have more of a conversation before I brought it up.

"You sure?" I ask, wanting her desperately to say that I could help, even though I don't know what to do. Surely, I can be of some assistance.

"Unless you've somehow gotten better at making bullets," She begins with a smile on her face, "then I'm sure." I stare at her, not knowing how she knew I was so bad at making bullets. In the time it takes me to create one bullet, she probably could have created four better bullets.

"How did you know that I'm terrible at creating bullets?" I ask her, wanting an answer. Did she just guess that I'd be bad at it? Her assumption can't be based on what I told her a long time ago, can it? That I don't use the bullet editor often? I could have improved since then. In fact, I'm sure I have.

"You left the recipe for one of your bullets on here after you created it." She smiles, "four of the modules cancelled out. If you knew what you were doing, it would have been a much better bullet than the result you settled on." She turns towards me as she explains, showing off her smile. As I see that she has no qualms against me, I can now bring up the subject of my absence from battle, and even my friends.

"Maybe I should have been training in the bullet editor over the past three weeks rather than sitting in my room all day." I look to the ceiling and smile as I respond. I half expect Ciel to let out a chuckle, but when a few seconds pass by without hearing the laugh, I get nervous. I look back towards Ciel and see the smile completely wiped off of her face. Shit! Now there's definitely an awkward silence. Well, since I've brought the subject up, I might as well continue with it. It would be strange to change the subject from that, only to bring it back to that subject a little while later. Judging by her silence, I can guess that she doesn't want to talk about it.

"Ciel, about these last few weeks… our last few encounters…"

"Is it my fault?" She interrupts me, her voice shaking, and she is no longer operating the computer.

"What?" She surprised me so suddenly that I can't even comprehend what she's saying.

"Is it my fault? I've caused you so much pain the last few weeks." I see her hands ball up into fists in front of the computer. "I ran away from you on the rooftop," I gulp after that, she's bringing up bad memories, and it's clear that she hasn't forgotten either. "You probably thought I betrayed you as a friend and couldn't bare to be in the branch any longer, running away and completely forgetting your God Arc." As Ciel explains, I can understand where she is coming from. It's a logical thought and to be honest, but it was her fault. "Then in order to survive, you were put into a situation where you unknowingly killed a group of civilians as you tried to escape a herd of Ogretails. That scarred you mentally. I doubt you'll ever forget what you saw." Her voice becomes raspier, and I'm sure that her hands are growing wet from tears dropping onto them. Not knowing what else I can do, I take her into my arms, hugging her in a similar way to what Nana hugged me but without the happiness involved. She continues speaking as she's in my grip. "I'll never forget what I saw when we found you. Your face was full of fear and regret, and that's the way you stayed for three weeks. Every day I would come to your room and hope that you would snap out of it, hope that I could snap you out of it." I tighten my hold on her, trying to let her know that I'm here for her. "But it wasn't something as simple as a bad memory, you've been mentally scarred. It got to the point where I was spending too much time in your room, and someone would have to kick me out of it." She moves her hands and places them on top of my arms. I cannot remember much from my time dealing with the mental trauma, but I know that I never once saw anyone other than me in my room. To hear that someone else was in my room without knowing it, it scares me really.

"It wasn't your faul-"

"When I wasn't in your room, I would be watching your God Arc. Gil told me that a person's God Arc can change if there is something wrong with them, and I watched as it turned from a fiery red into a pure white. Gil noticed it too and ran some tests on it." So Gilbert did know the reason behind my Arc changing colour. Why didn't he tell me the real reason? "Today, I noticed that your Arc was still white, and I decided to try and do some work on bullets to try and take my mind off of it. Imagine my surprise when I found that it was gone, and even Gil didn't know where it was." I'm sure she's giving a sad smile but I'm more concerned with the flow of tears dripping onto my arms. "We asked Hibari and who said that you must have been on a mission with Kanon since your bias pulses had been detected together outside of the branch." Ciel turns in my grip, coming face to face with me. I see that her beautiful silver eyes are glistening with tears, as well as her tear trails. "Why didn't you see me before that?" I stare into her eyes, she seems to be analysing my own as I do hers. Those silver pools only show the sincerity of her words.

"Ciel, if I'm honest. I'm still not over that mental episode." Ciel tilts her head downwards, breaking the eye contact between us. Before continuing, I take a hold of her chin and tilt it upwards so that our eyes meet again. "It will take time before I heal, so I can only ask that you heal with me. You've been affected as well, all of Blood has been, and we all need to heal together. Just like we did when we lost Romeo," I break my flow as I give her time to remember, "Just like we did when we lost Julius. Just like we will do to help me get over my trauma." I know what I just said makes no sense, but I'm hoping that Ciel won't notice that. "It's only a matter of time. Then, we'll all be back to our usual selves." Not knowing what else to say, I just keep looking into her eyes. A few moments pass before Ciel moves her head towards me… and it rests on my chest. She takes me into her own embrace and lets the tears flow silently. We remain like this for a few minutes until I realise that I'm yet to confirm that it isn't her fault. "Ciel, it isn't your fault." Honestly, I think she does deserve some blame since I wouldn't have felt the need to escape from the branch had she just given me an answer. If she had rejected me outright, then maybe I still would have needed to leave the branch for a while, but I may have remembered to bring my God Arc with me. However, I'm just speculating now. Come to think of it, if I had never confessed to her in the first place, none of this would have happened. Maybe it's my fault.


	80. Chapter 80 - Erina II

Chapter 80

DISCLAIMER: I DO NOT OWN THE GOD EATER FRANCHISE HOWEVER I DO OWN MY OC.

Also, please leave a review!

Name: Cedrick Esparza  
Gender: Male  
Hairstyle: Style 7 (Dark Brown)

It took a few more days before any of the awkwardness between all of Blood had dissipated. I guess time can heal all wounds, as my own wounds were beginning to heal; my Arc was returning to a blazing red colour gradually, and it would only be a matter of time before I'm over it completely. However, just because things have been awkward between my unit and I, that's not to say that they weren't awkward on the battlefield. We've been able to perform better than we ever have done, and it may be because we're all just a little bit closer as a unit. So now, I have to make sure to get closer to all my friends, and where better to start than a student of mine.

"Erina." I speak, catching her attention as she is about to walk into the lounge. She turns around quickly, and angrily I notice, but her demeanour softens as she rests her eyes on me.

"Cedrick?" She asks in slight surprise. "I thought it was Emil calling my name again." She slumps forward. I didn't realise how much Emil must bother her. "He's been following me too much recently." She sighs before, once again, her demeanour changes, "it's your fault, you know." She tells me with an annoyed look on her face, one of her eyebrows twitching. My own eyebrow raises but in surprise.

"Huh?" I didn't expect to get the blame for Emil following her around.

"Yeah. He said," She tries her best to mimic Emil's voice, "since our noble Cedrick has taken leave, I shall protect you henceforth, more so than I've previously been able to." Her impression is pretty good, but she quickly returns to her usual voice, "or something like that."

"I see." I don't really. It was Emil's own choice to do that, but I suppose if I wasn't mentally ill, he wouldn't feel the need to protect Erina in my place. "So where is he now?"

"I thought I had lost him." She glares towards me. It takes a few seconds to realise that she was glaring over my shoulder. I look behind me to see Emil standing with a smug grin on his face as he strokes a lock of hair.

"T'was an excellent impression, Erina." He says, confirming that he has been here for long enough to hear Erina's impression of him. "But I do believe that you are missing out on one thing." He closes hi eyes, continuing to stroke a lock of hair.

"What's that?" I ask in Erina's place.

"I swore that I would protect you regardless of anything. Even with Cedrick having returned, it is still my mission to protect you, just as it has always been."

"Yeah, but you can ease off for now, right?" Again, I find myself sticking up for Erina, "I'm here now. You don't always need to be by her side. She is a God Eater, she can fend for herself."

"That's right." I hear her comment. It sounds as though she is grinning cockily, one look at Erina confirms my suspicions.

"I know that I needn't be with her constantly. Hence why I protect her when you, my friend, are not with her." His smile and smug demeanour doesn't fade as he speaks. "Will you be staying with her for a while?" A question of his own startles me.

"Uh…" I look back at Erina who just stares at me indifferently, "Yeah, sure." I did intend to ask how she was doing and try to get to know her a little better in the hopes of awakening her blood power, so I'm not lying; but I didn't plan to spend too long with her.

"Yeah, he is." I look at Erina as she speaks, "we were just about to accept a mission." I look at her as if to say "we were?" I'm not sure if she's just saying that to make Emil leave her, or if she actually is serious. "Cedrick," She speaks my name to get my attention, "I heard that there were some medium sized Aragami at the Abandoned Carrier. Can you tell Hibari that we'll accept that mission?" She smiles, I guess she must be serious.

"Okay." I speak and turn away from her, getting ready to tell Hibari, but Emil's hand on my shoulder stops me from pursuing Erina's request.

"I leave her in your hands, Captain Esparza." I grimace slightly at the use of my rank and surname together; I have no problem with being addressed as either Captain or Esparza, but not both together.

"Sure." He retracts his hand before walking into the lounge.

"I'll get my stuff ready." Erina speaks before heading the opposite way of the lounge, most likely to get her Arc. My eyes follow her as she leaves…

We ended up going on that mission, but after returning back to the Den, Emil was there to annoy her again. I feel guilty about it, but I ditched Erina since Emil was annoying me too. Thankfully though, the next day, she seemed to know why I left her, but she also told me that Emil had set up a mission for the three of us. That, too, went fairly well; we survived with minimal injuries, and I managed to obtain a few rare materials. The day after, Erina and I were assigned to another mission, this time by Hibari. We didn't break a sweat against the five Zygotes that we were up against. It was our job to clear the way for a larger unit to take down a Quadriga. Apparently, this larger unit was to help train some of the less active God Eaters. I did notice that Haruomi and Kanon were involved in the unit, but I don't know if they were considered to be the less active God Eaters. Regardless, for the fourth day in a row, Erina and I have been assigned a mission. This time though, it is one that may test our efforts.

"A Fierce Kongou?" Erina repeats after I told her of our opponent. "Just the two of us?!" Her face gives away her emotions; a mix between anger, surprise and unwillingness.

"We can do it." I give her encouraging words with a soft smile on my face. Honestly, I thought it was a big ask too, especially considering the spike in difficulty levels. Yesterday we were against Zygotes, and now we're against a Fierce Kongou; a monster I don't especially like fighting due to its spark attacks.

"Do you really think so?" Erina gives me a hopeful look, and I must admit that it is cute. I nod my head in response. I really do think that we can beat it, but it will take patience and a plan. Two things that I'm not very fond of.

"Do you want to make a plan to fight the Fierce Kongou? We're going to need it." I remark simply.

"Huh? Don't you always make the plans? Are you trying to get out of your part of the job?!" I laugh nervously at her response. The student knows her master too well. "Not at all, I'm giving you the chance to lead us this time." Generally, when I'm on missions with Erina, the only plan I have relates to keeping yourself away from danger. Maybe I'm a bit guilty of overprotecting her, but it doesn't stop the fact that I'm too incapable of making my own plans very often. It's easy for some opponents, like the Nyx Alpha where you just need to keep using OP Restore Pills and shooting the Aragami, but often, a plan created for one Kongou will not work against another Kongou. So, I get lazy. Thankfully though, Ciel likes to make the plans, so I just push the responsibility onto her. Everyone in the Far East knows by now that I like to battle without thinking much. Erina raises an eyebrow to my comment, her arms now being folded across her chest. She keeps her stern face.

"I'll think of something." I speak with a dejected sigh. A wide smile spreads on her face; she knows she's won. Well, I suppose it should be the trainer's job to make the plan, but it doesn't mean I have to like it. "I'll meet you on the helicopter." I continue with my dejected sigh. However, my mood brightens slightly as I see Erina almost skipping away from me to ready her God Arc. I smile after her as she does leave.

It doesn't take long to find the Fierce Kongou. It grunts loudly as it paroles through the snow surrounding the Tranquil Temple. Just as it turns a corner, and out of our sight, I give a nod to Erina. Having already discussed the plan, we know what to do. It's all about biding our time though. Erina runs ahead of me, a confident smile look on her face. After a few seconds, she runs around the corner and starts shooting the Aragami. I get to work on the plan by deploying a couple of traps; both binding traps.

"Done!" I shout to Erina, but over the sound of her bullets, I doubt she heard me. Instead, I repeat what I said through the headset. "Done."

"Roger, I'll bring it over there." She speaks casually. I guess that the Fierce Kongou hasn't been much trouble for her, but it's going to be even less trouble very soon. I raise my head from looking at the trap, and seconds later, Erina comes into view, as well as a rolling ball of sparks. She narrowly manages to avoid it as the Fierce Kongou continues rolling and slams against a wall. I narrow my eyes at that,

"Hurry Erina!" I shout, making sure she knows not to dawdle. The Kongou variant seems unaffected by the fact that it's just slammed against a wall, and looks in our direction. It's preparing to roll up into a ball of sparks and attack again. Instead of worrying though, I smile. This is why I placed down the binding traps. It will prevent the beast from using that move for a while. Erina and I just need to make sure we destroy it before it regains the ability. Erina runs by me, turning back and ready to go on the offensive. We easily evade the Fierce Kongou and it triggers the traps as it rolls away from us. It suddenly no longer rolls, and its momentum carries it face first into another wall. Judging by how long it takes for it to get back up, it definitely felt that. We don't stand idly by as it does make its way up though, we slash, swipe and pierce the beast. We successfully manage to unbind the pipes on its back before it tries to shake us off and tense up. I realise what it's about to do.

"Shield up!" I command and deploy my shield, just as the beast unleashes a torrent of sparks within a three-metre radius of it. I feel the electricity crackle at the parts that my shield cannot protect, mainly my legs and feet, and grit my teeth at the pain. I look towards the beast and only just manage to cover my eyes as bullets impact with its unbound pipes. I follow the trail to see that Erina was standing outside of the radius. She must have only just avoided it as she doesn't seem to be suffering any lasting effects of the electricity, meaning she couldn't have been caught in it and then escaped. Regardless, as the Aragami's electrical attack fades, I use a sudden surge of energy to roll away from the beast. I change my Arc to Gun Form after a few seconds to allow myself to breathe, before I join Erina in shooting the beast.

It only takes another few minutes before the beast is brought to the ground where Erina immediately extracts its core. I breathe a sigh of relief.

"Good work, Erina." I say, between a breath of two. I'm not worn out, but it was a difficult opponent.

"We've been assigned on a lot of missions together lately, haven't we?" She asks suddenly. I was expecting a 'thank you' or something as a response, not a question. She was right though, but neither of us will complain. It's a chance for her to learn, right?

"You wanted to learn." I comment with a neutral face. After all, maybe she is going to complain that we've been on so many missions lately., it only seems to be backed up by the fact that she is bringing this topic up.

"Yeah… I… I know." She sounds a bit dejected. "But you're Blood Special Forces! You don't mind working with an ordinary God Eater?" I smile as she speaks. It has been a while since I've heard the full name of my unit, especially when she says it like that; as if we're a role model to her.

"Not at all." I reply, the smile never leaving my face as I speak.

"Um, to be honest…" She bows her head away, but I did manage to catch a depressed look on her face before she did so. My smile disappears too. "When you first arrived out here, I was afraid you were gonna be self-centred _elites_. I was determined to show that you couldn't outshine me. After all, the God Eaters of the Far East have fought countless battles to defend this place." She speaks very highly of her comrades.

"Rivalry's healthy." I speak with a returning smile. When my unit and I first arrived at the Far East, I didn't think much of her. She was just a comrade and nothing more. I think we could be considered friends now though, despite the student-teacher relationship.

"I think so…" She grins widely, I must have chosen the right response. "And, if you hadn't come, I would have never gotten to know you." She still smiles.

"I guess that would be the case." If I'm honest, her response makes me nervous. It isn't every day that a woman tells you that they're glad they've gotten to know you. This makes it the second time I've ever heard it. Ciel has said it before, and always seems to show it. While Nana hasn't directly said it but shows it too. "It works the other way around too, though. I wouldn't have known you if I hadn't come here."

"Yeah…" She responds simply before her smile disappears, "So, now I…" She seems to be lost for words. I no longer feel nervous now though, it sounds like Erina's caught my nervousness. "I, uh…"

"Just spit it out already." I speak jokingly, only to be met with Erina's unamused face. However, her very face is amusing to me. It just seems to say 'I'm being serious', with her straight face, lowered eyebrows and relaxed jaw. I can't help but chuckle slightly at it.

"Ahh… I decided to stop being stubborn." She says, finally spitting it out, her nervousness no longer present as she speaks. Her words surprise me slightly. Out of all things, I wasn't expecting that. Is she saying that her stubbornness has just been an act this whole time? It seemed real to me. "I really want you to teach me." She turns to me suddenly with a determined, serious look on her face. Her words give me a funny feeling in my chest. I feel happy that Erina feels like she can learn from me and appreciate the fact that she said she can. I can't help but smile as she speaks. My smile makes her smile. "I've never trusted anyone from outside the Far East before and… well, w-will you do it?" She stutters slightly, her nervousness catching up with her. "Will you train me?" Of course, I only have one response to that.

"Of course, my student." I smile at her again. I notice that I seem to be doing that a lot when I'm with Erina. I wonder if it's because she seems genuinely thankful that I am teaching her.

"Y-Yes!" She shouts with happiness lacing her voice. Dare I say it, but she's cute when she's happy. She crosses her hands over her midriff as she continues speaking. "Take me on tons of missions! I'll go wherever you tell me. And I won't complain. I promise." She sounds so happy that I can't help but pat her on the head a few times. She stops talking as I do so.

"We should go back to the Den now." I stop patting her on the head, retracting my hand to get ready to ask Hibari to send a helicopter our way.

"We can shop together!" She shouts happily, and I suddenly realise that I may have made a mistake in agreeing to take her on many missions. "There's this store near Captain Kota's house with the cutest stuff!" Yeah… I'm definitely going to regret it…

Somehow, I managed to make Erina shut up for a while, so I could get into contact with Hibari. After I had though, she started talking again. She didn't even stop when we were on our way back to the Den. Which is why I was thankful to see one person on the rooftop waiting with their God Arc in hand.

"Ah Captain, Erina, am I glad to see you've returned." Emil speaks as soon as we jump off the helicopter. I grip his shoulder, perhaps harder than I should have done.

"I'll leave her in your care." I ignore Erina's protest at being left with Emil, but she was starting to become irritating. Emil, however, just seemed to accept my statement and carried on doing as she was doing to me, being a pest.


	81. Chapter 81 - Licca Completed

Chapter 81

DISCLAIMER: I DO NOT OWN THE GOD EATER FRANCHISE HOWEVER I DO OWN MY OC.

Also, please leave a review!

Name: Cedrick Esparza  
Gender: Male  
Hairstyle: Style 7 (Dark Brown)

A/N: Sorry about the delay with this chapter. I attempted it multiple times but never knew exactly how I could make Licca's last character event into an episode…

Luckily, Erina never bothered me again for the rest of the day. It's about 22:00, she'll probably be asleep by now. I wonder how she got on with Emil, probably the same as always. I do feel sorry for her when she's being hassled by Emil. I can only tolerate him to an extent before I begin to ignore him; casually nodding my head or something in response to him; never giving him an actual response.

"Hey wait…" I speak aloud to myself, having remembered something. "Hadn't Soma returned?" Reflecting over the day, I wonder why Erina hadn't gone on a mission with Soma. Does she still not get along very well with him? Or did she just prefer to go on a mission with me? Oh well, I'll think about it later. I do want to get some sleep… I lie onto my bed and let my body do the rest.

"Cedrick!" I hear my name being called from the other side of my bedroom door before the owner of the voice begins to bang on the door. I grumble a bit as I try to process what's happening. I look towards the clock and find that it reads 23:30. Why the hell is someone knocking on my door this late?! I get up from my bed and walk towards the door. Before I can reach it, the person on the other side fiddles with the door knob before eventually opening the door. I instantly see that it was Licca that was knocking on my door like a hooligan, but I don't bring that up. Actually, what I want to bring up is why she's covered in even more oil than she usually is. Instead of the signature smear that usually adorns her face, on one of her cheeks, almost the whole of one side of her jaw bone is completely covered. I notice that a large part of her upper arms are covered in oil too.

"Licca? Why are you here?" I ask as she enters my room. She walks towards me, not even bothering to close the door; her eyes locked onto me. I can't quite tell what she is feeling though. Is she mad? Angry? Upset? I know I haven't seen her in a while, but I'm not entirely to blame. She could have always come to see me… I'm too tired for this…

"Cedrick," She begins in a demanding voice and her mouth moves into a smile, "we've got work to do." She says simply, yet happily. I suppose it is better than the alternative.

"Huh?" I give her a questionable look, "This late?" I grumble and wait for her response. Before giving me one, she looks around my room. I feel as though she is scrutinising it, but I soon realise what she's doing when she looks towards my bed.

"It's only half past eleven. We've been up later working on the Link Support Device. That's actually what I want you to help with." She still speaks in a happy manner, and I raise an eyebrow at her. I'd already started to get to sleep, that means I'm going to need to fully wake up again, test out the Link Support Device, hear about the results and then try to get back to sleep. I'm not really up for that right now.

"Can we do it tomorrow? Surely it can wait." I speak slowly and carefully while rubbing my hair. I know that she's excited about completing the project that her father started on, but it can wait for about 10 hours, right? Judging by the downward curvature of her mouth, I guess it can't.

"But I just need you to test it out." She whines. "Besides, it's about time you help me out, you haven't done so in months!" She exclaims with anger in her voice. I can't argue with her there.

"I'm tired though…" I try to explain, but she's having none of it.

"You don't look very tired." She puts a hand under her chin and stares at me, as if looking over me to see if I was showing any signs of looking tired. After a few more seconds of her doing that, she removes her hand from her chin, smiles happily, and then grabs me by the arm and starts pulling me towards the door.

"You're not going to take no for an answer."

"I'm not going to say no for an answer." We both say at the same time, although my voice was a bit more fed up compared to her easy-going voice.

She drags me out of my room. I get the chance to close the door behind me, but she still insists on dragging me.

Licca informs me, as we walk to where my Arc is stored, that she does not know of any Aragami in the closer-to -home areas. So she tells me to go to the mission counter and accept a mission. I'm surprised that God Eaters can choose to accept a mission this late at night… I guess it means that people can accept missions for whenever they want; they can sleep through the day and work at night, like a nocturnal human. I don't know of anyone that has accepted a late night mission. My missions for Licca usually last until late at night, they don't start this late. Regardless, I wonder who will be at the mission desk. Hibari's shift should have ended by now.

As I turn a corner, I'm surprised to see Hibari still working behind her desk. I honestly wonder if she ever takes a break. Or is the Far East just very short of staff? Actually, I haven't seen Fran for a while. I wonder if they share short shifts and switch regularly or something. That seems to be the only explanation. Judging by the look on Hibari's face, she's surprised to see me walking around this late.

"Captain? Why are you up this late? Weren't you on a mission earlier?" Hibari asks in a curious voice, trying to make sense of the situation.

"I'm helping Licca out with the Link Support Device." I sigh. I'm still not wide awake, but I'm at least coherent enough to take on an easy mission, "I need to test it out. Are there any easy missions?" I ask her with hope in my voice. The quicker I finish the mission, the quicker I can get back to sleep.

"Easy missions?" Hibari looks at me incredulously. "There's no such thing as an easy mission. A God Eater can lose their life in any mission against any Aragami. You've got to be very careful on a mission so that you do not die. How can any of that be considered easy?"

"I think you're reading to deeply into my words, Hibari." I brush her off with a forced smile. I didn't think she'd get defensive over it. "Are there any missions against small Aragami?" I rephrase my previous question. Smaller Aragami are easier than larger Aragami, despite what Hibari may think.

"Oh." She says simply, a hand to her mouth, "I can have a look." I smile in thanks and wait for Hibari to find a mission against smaller Aragami, typing away on her computer.

A minute or two later, Hibari finds a mission. She informs me that it is against a large herd of Ogretails. I thank her and just as I'm about to leave, she speaks up.

"Captain, did you hear the news? Fenrir invited Licca to go work in the Research Facility at HQ." Something drops into my stomach. It doesn't take me a while to realise it was my heart. Is that why I hadn't seen her around lately? I know that she's usually working, but if she needs something, or someone, then she'll probably try and find them. Thus, wandering the corridors until she does, but she hasn't done that lately. "One of ours finally got the recognition they deserve. I will be really sad to see her go." She smiles, but it doesn't seem to be sincere. However, I can't help but notice the use of present tense in her voice. I hope it means that Licca hasn't decided to go yet. Is that why she wants to complete the Link Support Device so quickly? It's her last project before she leaves.

"She's going to HQ?" My voice seemed to be begging Hibari to tell me that that wasn't the case. Maybe that's why she gives me her answer with an unsure look on her face.

"I don't know if she's decided yet. It'd really help her career, but I think she's hesitant." Hibari answers, and she's not wrong. It would probably be a big boost on Licca's CV to say that she's worked for Fenrir HQ. She could pretty much get a job in any branch around the world without question if that were the case, but it seems like she has an attachment to this branch, and I can understand why. She knows all of the people here and has a friendship with us all. If she were to leave, it would be like breaking that friendship. There's a high chance that we'd never see each other again. "Why don't you ask her yourself? I'd like to know what she'll do." She asks, and I shake my head. I will bring this up with Licca, but I'm not sure how I will. I give Hibari a nod in confirmation before continuing towards the God Arc Storage Warehouse.

Arriving at the God Arc Storage Warehouse, I see my Arc left near the exit. Licca is nowhere near. I walk over to my Arc and pick it up. As I do so, a note falls to the ground from its original position on my Arc. I pick it up.

 _Cedrick,_

 _I've equipped your Arc with the Link Support Device. I was going to wait for you, but got too excited and have already headed back to watch for what will happen on the mission. I'll see you when you get back!_

 _Licca_

 _P.S. I've got someone from the maintenance unit to drop you off wherever the Aragami are. He'll be waiting outside in a car. You can thank me later._

I sigh sadly. It seems I won't be able to bring up the Fenrir HQ situation until after I've went on this mission. At least she's provided some transport for me. I put the note back on the large, God Arc transporter that my Arc was resting on before I head out of the door. Straight away, I can see a large, armoured car and walk to it. Before jumping in, I ask the guy if he can take me to the Forgotten Carrier.

"Nah mate. Yer lookn fer some other guy." He says with a large smile, giving away the fact that he's being sarcastic. I jump into the car and sit in the passenger seat.

"No' fallin' fer it, then" He moves his face closer to mine, "Captain?"

"Just drive." I comment with a frustrated sigh. There's something about this guy that annoys me. Maybe it is the way he speaks, or just the way he acts. Or a mixture of both. Whichever way, I hope I don't see him around too often.

"Not very polite, are ya?" He recoils in his seat before preparing to move the vehicle. "Buckle up." He comments, and before I even get the chance to do so, he accelerates very quickly which pulls me firmly against my seat. I get my seatbelt on before I do anything else… Like killing this guy!

"Idiot! Why the fuck are you driving like a lunatic?" It's not like me to get angry like this, but this guy is very annoying… and is an idiot. Asking him that while shouting manages to cool me off to some degree.

"I warned ya." He comments smugly with a smile on his face. That just makes me anger levels shoot back up again. This is going to be a very irritating mission. Next time, I'll just walk to the Forgotten Carrier. It will save me a lot of anger.

Reaching the Forgotten Carrier, I don't hesitate to jump out of the vehicle, landing on the ground with a loud thud.

"Thanks." I speak with slight disdain in my voice.

"Don't get yaself killed, kid." He comments with a hearty voice, I can feel his gaze on my back. "Ya seem like a nice guy." He comments, and I feel a pang of guilt as I don't think the same of him. I turn my head back to him just in time to see him move the car to a safer distance. "I'll pick ya up when you're done!" He shouts as he drives. I shrug off my guilt, with a shrug of my shoulders before starting my parole around the area to find the herd of Ogretails.

One hour, and an uncomfortable, life threatening ride home, later, I finally get back to the Den. Licca hadn't contacted me while I was on the mission. I can only assume the results weren't as she was expecting. I still need to ask her if she is going to Fenrir HQ or not. After putting my Arc away, I headed to where she would most likely be: her workshop.

"Licca." I speak to gain her attention, walking towards her as I do so.

"That should be everything I need. You've been so great." She speaks with a smile, turning towards me as she does so. I guess everything did go well in that test. "With any luck, in the not-so-distant future God Eaters will be able to use both Link Support Devices and God Arcs. Maybe it'll save some lives. Thank you for everything!" She gives me a warm smile, but it doesn't warm me.

"You were invited to HQ?" I tell her straight and she gasps in surprise. She clearly wasn't expecting me to bring this up with her, but I want to know. So do a lot of other people.

"I… I guess Hibari told you, didn't she?" It seems like Licca already knew that Hibari was waiting for her answer. The warmth has disappeared from her voice, and I can honestly say I don't like that tone. It seems to cry out that she is leaving. "It's not like I was hiding it from you," She speaks in a panicked, high-pitched voice. "I… I was just… wasn't sure what I'd do." Her reasoning gives me hope. Personally, I don't want to see Licca leave the Far East. I know she'd be in good hands, with my uncle being there, but she is needed her. "I know it might be the best thing for me, career-wise and all, but… I dunno…" Her voice suddenly changes to one of reminiscing. "Do you remember, before the examinations, you asked if I was happy doing this? Truth is, I didn't choose this particular job. I didn't choose this particular branch. I just landed here and never left." Sadly, it doesn't seem as though she has much emotional attachment to the branch. "You got me thinking about the choices I didn't make." She looks to me with a small smile.

"I didn't mean to make you reflect." When I asked if she enjoyed her job, I did it out of common decency. She had asked me if I enjoyed being a God Eater, so I thought she'd return her question.

"I was worried I wasn't walking my own path, just the one I was too afraid to leave." She adds and it seems to be fuelling the fact that she's leaving.

"What will you do?" She hasn't directly said that she's leaving. She's just speculating about it.

"I've decided to stay here." She responds quickly with honesty in her voice. I can feel the gears in my head stop working as she sounded as though she was leaving; confusing me greatly. Why did she decide to stay here? Not that I'm complaining, but still…

"More importantly, I'm proud of that choice." She speaks with such determination, and I feel a smile spreading on my face. "I'm glad Fenrir recognises me, and I'm excited they sent me the offer, but… I'm a Far East Engineer, that's what I'm happy to be. I want to stay with you, with everyone. I want to help when your Arcs break down. Being here to support you, being here to fix your problems, being here when you get back. Being here is what makes me happy." She says 'you' but I'm sure she likes being able to help everyone in the Den with their Arcs. She smiles before leaving on that note, without even a good night. Although, I don't think I need one. I soon follow her out of her workshop. I assume that she's heading to her room to get some sleep. Before I head to my room though, I want to tell Hibari Licca's answer…


	82. Chapter 82 - Perverted Cedrick - Part 2

Chapter 82

DISCLAIMER: I DO NOT OWN THE GOD EATER FRANCHISE HOWEVER I DO OWN MY OC.

Also, please leave a review!

Name: Cedrick Esparza  
Gender: Male  
Hairstyle: Style 7 (Dark Brown)

It isn't until late into the morning that I wake up from some well-deserved sleep. Helping Licca with her project last night was really tiring, but it was all for a good cause. The Link Support Device has now been completed. If I'm honest though, I'm still a bit tired. Which is why I decided to go into the lounge and ask Mutsumi to whip up a cup of coffee. That should wake me up. If it doesn't though, I'm sure the guy beside me will. I glance towards the person as I see they're about to speak to me, taking a sip of coffee as I do so.

"Tell me, do you enjoy sushi?" Haruomi asks a random question that I was not prepared for at all. It takes me a few seconds to actually acknowledge what he asked me, but I remain confused.

"Huh?"

"It's simple. Rice and a topping, nothing more. I feel that minimalism is key. It was a flash of inspiration; such simplicity is a gift to be cherished."

"I thought you were into covered legs." I comment with a weak smile. He seems to be very indecisive about women and what specifically attracts his attention to them. At least I am unwavering with the fact that it is their chests that attract me.

"Come now, you know as well as I that distraction leads you to the greatest finds." He reasons while I take a drink of my coffee. "This newest desire is rather… simple." That's what he says anyway. It probably isn't. "Bare. Legs." He accentuates. I knew this conversation would wake me up. "Legs are naturally wonderful on their own! I want to feel that glorious thrill that can only come from legs unhindered."

"It's not bad, I suppose." I comment indifferently. I can't quite remember ever seeing a woman's bare legs before. I know that Nana likes to show off her bare legs, but I've grown used to that. Maybe Haruomi is the same as me; he hasn't seen a woman's bare legs and it's the thrill of actually getting to see them that he is after.

"Then it's settled." I blink at his response before giving a sigh. I already know where this conversation is going. "Don't you worry, I'll find an exemplar of such beauty. Our quest for the grail nears its end!" He leaves the lounge to find another victim to prove to me that bare legs are the best thing on a girl. I can't deny that the thought of seeing a girl's bare legs is actually quite exciting, but not as much as their bare chest. A big chest like Ciel's or Alisa's is where my passion resides. Even Kanon has a large chest, but should I be thinking about another person's girlfriend like that? Nah, I remember that Haruomi said that her boyfriend wasn't very impressed when Haruomi tried to hit on her.

"You're going to be tainted if you keep talking to him about that sort of thing." A voice takes me out of rousing thoughts, and I instantly feel that my chin is wet. I raise a hand to wipe it and my mouth as I realised that I was drooling. I look to the owner of the voice to see it was Mutsumi, and I feel like a disgrace. I didn't realise that she was listening to Haruomi's and my conversation, and that she must have noticed me drooling. It's evident in what she said. I quickly finish drinking my coffee and get out of the lounge without another word, too embarrassed to stay for any longer.

Two hours later, I've just come back from a mission with Erina who had tracked me down so that we could go on a mission together to see if she can learn her Blood Art yet. We discuss it in the lounge and she asks if I saw her use a Blood Art. I don't have the guts to tell her that I didn't especially since she was so excited over it.

"That's incredible!" I fake enthusiasm and hope she buys it.

"What else could it have been?!" Erina seems to have seen through my ruse. "I'm pretty sure it was a Blood Art. Weren't you watching?" She asks me with a less than impressed look on her face.

"…Not… really." We were fighting against pretty difficult Aragami. Even one middle-sized Fallen Kongou can be difficult for two people. I was making sure that we didn't get incapacitated by its attacks, I didn't have time to watch her.

"Unbelievable!" She shouts with a bit of anger in her voice, but it soon becomes full of surprise and doubt. "Wait, wait, wait. Do you think it was a fluke? I don't know if I can do it at will." She puts a hand to her chin and her tone changes to one of accepting. This girl has so many mood changes. "I want to totally master it before I get completely excited!" She speaks with a smile. "So let's go for another round-"

"-Maybe we should wait for now, Erina." I interrupt her. I didn't really want to go on another mission with her again today. It's not that I don't like her, but she can be a bit annoying. I want a break from her, which is why I fabricate a lie. "I mean, think about it. You were at full energy, and if it was a fluke, you won't be able to do it until you're back to full energy." I knew what I was trying to say, but I didn't know how to say it. Basically, we should try again when she's back at full energy - after a long rest. "We should try again tomorrow." I hope she agrees with me, but the look on her face says otherwise; it's almost like a glare.

"But practice makes perfect, doesn't it? I'm sure you've told me that before too." She reasons with her hands on her hips, she clearly doesn't like the fact that I'm suggesting we wait before going on another mission.

"But you can practice your best when you're at full energy." I quickly dismiss her claim. She stares at me a little longer before deciding to drop the subject, leaving me in the lounge by myself. I do hear her murmur "you're so stubborn" before she leaves. "I can say the same thing about you, Erina." I breathe a sigh of relief.

"Come on, can you forget all that? For me? For Haru?" I hear Haruomi speaking in a flirty tone and turn to locate who he is talking to, and whether it is the next victim of Haruomi's showcase.

"Haha! Only if I can ask the same of you." I see a woman answer him in a similar tone. I'll admit that this woman seems pretty hot. I think she spoke with a French accent, she has strawberry blonde hair, and a more than modest figure. I'll admit, I want a piece of the action.

"Oh, hey." Haruomi speaks up as I approach them both.

"Ah!" Judging by the girl's reaction, she is either surprised to see me, or hates me for getting in the way of her and Haruomi's private time.

"You took your sweet time." Ah, so they were both expecting me. Okay, that eases my nerves slightly. At least I know I wasn't interrupting anything important. Now, Haruomi, about this holy grail…

"Aren't you going to introduce me?" I ask Haruomi a little impatiently.

"Meet the lovely Ines. She came in from the Rio de Janeiro Branch for an inspection." The woman bows as her name is mentioned, but all I can think about is that she is Brazilian and the fact that I was completely wrong about her having a French accent. I wonder if it's true about what they say about Brazilian girls though… I find my eyes wandering downward as I take in her figure. I instantly notice that she wears very short shorts, and her boots settle just before the middle of her shin. She does have nice legs indeed. If Ines is uncomfortable she's not showing it. However, I do make eye contact again though, just to reassure her that I wasn't thinking about how attractive she is.

"So, you're in the Blood unit?" Ines asks with curiosity in her voice.

"I'm the Captain of the Blood unit." It's probably the first time I'm happy to give my rank as I give a bow, very reminiscent of how Emil would do. Unlike Emil, however, as I complete the bow, I make sure to take in every inch of Ines' body once again. "Captain Cedrick Esparza," I introduce myself, "It's a pleasure to meet you." Completing the bow, I stand back up and look her in the eyes again.

"Haru's told me all about you. I'm Ines Almeida. It's great to finally meet you." She smiles as she introduces herself.

"Ah, did Haruomi hit on you too?" It's the only way I can comprehend the two of them meeting.

"…Yes and no." Her answer is interesting. "He was hitting on me two years ago when we were both in Russia on assignment." Damn, I must be two years too late then. I prefer my women to be… tight.

"That's right, pure coincidence we ran into each other. I invited her along to celebrate." Haruomi reasons, looking at Ines with sultry eyes. You can have her Haruomi, I'm no longer interested.

"And I was eager to join you. I'd love to see the Blood Unit in action." I raise an eyebrow at that, but don't bother to comment.

"Heh, I guarantee you're in for a real treat, Ines. All right then! time to do what we do best!"

The next half an hour wasn't exactly the most exciting of my life. I could feel Ines' burning gaze on my back as I fought a Hannibal by myself. My motivation was just that I wanted to show off what a member of the Blood Unit can do. I've already lost interest in her as a woman. Which is why I wasn't too sad to hear that she was going back to her branch. I did hear this from Haruomi though.

"What happened? You seemed to be so into her when you met." Haruomi comments on how eager I was at the start.

"Hmm… I don't think bare legs do it for me." It's the only excuse I could think of. I didn't want to tell him that I was holding out for another virgin.

"Really? Well, I still stand by my decision. Everyone should tear off their leggings and bask in the beauty!" Haruomi comments with a determined voice and expression…

I didn't see much of Haruomi for the rest of that day. The next morning, however, as I bought a cup of coffee and decided to sit in front of the window as I was still embarrassed by Mutsumi baring witness to the slightly perverted me, Haruomi came up to me and took a seat. Without even a hello, he starts the conversation.

"We've been searching for the grail for a long time, you and I. I think I finally understand." Haruomi says as if he's had a revelation. I look towards him as I can't wait to hear what part of a woman he's attracted to now. "Do you remember the very beginning? When I asked what part of a woman you look at?" I nod my head in response, although I'm not quite sure what he's getting at. "You said the chest, and I laughed. I said you were young. But something's been on my mind…" There's something about this side of Haruomi that doesn't seem right. He has a sad expression, and even speaks sadly too. "I'm so sorry! I beg your forgiveness!" He bows his head to me.

"Huh?" His sudden apology surprises me and greatly confuses me.

"My friend… it IS the chest!" Haruomi speaks, still with a sad voice, but a determined smile. I can't help the smile that overcomes my own face as he speaks. "I finally understand! A true woman doesn't need particular clothing! It was you! You're the one who showed me the way!" My smile only grows more as he continues to feed my ego. "They say that homecoming is a journey's end, and our quest has brought us safely back here!" I can agree with him on this point. There are many large chested women in this branch.

"Now you know the truth." I comment, and for the first time, I can't wait to see which woman he picks for us to go on a mission with.

"I never expected that this was the endgame." The sadness in his voice has long gone. "Now we return… to the truth. The promised land! Won't you join me?!"

"We're in this together!" I reply with as much vigour as I can muster.

"Of course! It won't be easy to find a paragon of perfect proportions, but I will. I swear to you!" He comments before excitedly leaving his seat and running to find our next… victim?... No. Saviour! I eagerly wait in my seat, almost shaking with excitement.

Only an hour later, which in my opinion felt much longer than that, Haruomi returns… without a woman beside him. I grow confused at this and feel the smile that I had plastered on my face for that full hour disappear. I guess he couldn't find anyone that fit the parameters after all.

"I've gone back to basics on this one." Huh? He did find one? Great! "It's not about embellishment. It's about honesty."

"I can understand that." I give an excited nod, "Sometimes it's about the thrill of imagining what's underneath." I remember saying something like that to him before when we talked about women's chests.

"It wasn't easy to find a perfect candidate, even with all my connections. I felt so lost." He speaks dramatically. "But then, she appeared before me. Like a gift from the gods themselves! Kanon! Come forth!" He announces with a lot of energy, and I look to where he looks and see a shy Kanon with her head down walking towards us. She stops just beside us, not bothering to look up. The outfit she has on is perfect for the holy grail. The outfit is very modest and covers most of her skin up, save for two spots where her cleavage is on display.

"I stumbled into her on my way here. Isn't she just perfect!" He exclaims it rather than asking a question, and he claps, applauding his choice.

"Um… H-Haru? Don't you think it's just a little… tight?" Kanon raises her head to meet Haruomi's eyes, expressing her own fears about her getup.

"It's perfect. I cut back on fabric to inspire your gifts to rise to the challenge." Haruomi asks, but in case that isn't enough for her…

"It really does look great on you. I don't think anyone could suit that more than you." I chip in with my own praise for how well she takes up the grail. I remember telling Haruomi all about Kanon's gifts when we first started the quest for the holy grail, and it appears that he remembers it too.

"Huh?!" Kanon turns her head to meet mine. "Eeep!" She covers her chest with her arms in a cute gesture, but it only accentuates them more. "Instructor! Why are you're here?!"

"For the promised land!" I proclaim with as much vigour as Haruomi showed, knowing that she won't have any idea what we were talking about. It matters very little that she has a boyfriend, right now. I'm not planning on doing anything with her, out of fear for my own life. But surely her boyfriend can't complain if I just take a look at how well-endowed she is, right?

"The promised land?" She asks with a confused expression and drops her arms from in front of her chest. I'm glad she has no idea what we're talking about!

"Come, we must test this design. To see its glorious beauty in action!" Haruomi speaks heartily, and I nod my head in excitement. Seeing our responses, Kanon replies,

"O-Okay! If you think so. Let's go!" She seems nervous, but that will soon change.

The mission begins with a fairly simple exercise.

"Before we can even begin to think about fighting such an evasive Aragami, we need to make sure that you're up for the challenge." I comment, I'm taking command of this mission, regardless of what Haruomi may say. This is my student that we're ogling - I mean helping. "Kanon," I call to get her attention and she assumes the posture of a soldier saluting me. "We know that the Abaddon is very quick. Therefore, we must test your endurance. I want you to the ledge, jump up it, jump down it then sprint back here. And I want you to do that several times."

"Why am I the only one who has to do this?" She groans, her posture weakening.

"Consider it as part of your training." Haruomi speaks from beside me. "We need to test how endurable your outfit is as well, remember?" Haruomi thinks up of a great excuse for this exercise.

"This will improve your stamina as well as your endurance." I'm not wrong. "Are you ready?" With a sigh, she salutes me before starting her obstacle course. Haruomi's and my sight is glued onto her chest as she sprints. Her boobs bounce gracefully in place. I couldn't be more thankful for gravity at the minute and continue to watch as she reaches the ledge. She jumps up a few times and tries to get a grip on the side of it. Her boobs bounce as she does so, but I'm more excited to see her jumping from the ledge. As she does so, she tucks her legs in, and her boobs are launched into the air and fall at a rate slightly slower than the rest of her body. As she sprints towards us, I can see the sweat falling between her breasts.

"Again!" I shout and she doesn't even come to a stop as she turns around to start the obstacle course again, she is breathing quite heavily though.

"Kanon's still here, no matter what. She's the 4th Unit's elite." Haruomi suddenly begins talking, probably about the fact that Kanon won't need to run off to another branch as she resides I our branch. "But this is the same old Far East Branch. Our home doesn't need much else. It's because this is my home that I can leave. I can journey and see the world. I know that."

"Journey?" I repeat with confusion. Does he plan on leaving again?

"Yeah. I think we need something like that to find the holy grail. It's only just begun." He speaks up, and I believe he is right. While he's on this journey, he can find others that are possibly more fitting of the title of the holy grail, and I can't wait to see who he chooses. One thing I know for sure though, as I watch Kanon go through the third round of the assault course. That Abaddon isn't going to stand a chance. Maybe Kanon can go for the world record and kill it in one shot. After all, the Abaddon is probably the weakest Aragami there is, but it does have a lot of energy to escape though…


	83. Chapter 83 - An odd combination!

Chapter 83

DISCLAIMER: I DO NOT OWN THE GOD EATER FRANCHISE HOWEVER I DO OWN MY OC.

Also, please leave a review!

Name: Cedrick Esparza  
Gender: Male  
Hairstyle: Style 7 (Dark Brown)  
God Arc: Freezing Maiden II (Short Blade), F-BF Shot (Blast Gun), Kurogane Tower A (Shield)  
Blood Art: Raider Stab III

The day after, it had finally occurred to me that, despite knowing that Soma had returned a while ago, I had never once paid him a visit. Thus, that's exactly what I had decided to do.

"Ah, it's you." He speaks, noticing my presence as I walk closer to him behind a desk. He didn't even turn towards me as he spoke. Instead, he continues typing on a keyboard, looking at one of the many screens he has available. Is this what it's like to be a researcher? "Please, have a seat." He is strangely accommodating. I never thought he was like that after going on a couple of missions with him and Erina. Maybe I was just more focused on making sure they got along and never actually tried to get along with him. I do as he says though and take a seat a short distance away from where he is sitting. "So…" He speaks up, as if trying to make sure he still has my attention. I do realise by now that he was probably expecting me to say something, but it's too late now. "How about some tea?" He stops typing as he asks me this. I make it visible how I feel about tea by grimacing slightly.

"Do you have any coffee?" I ask instead of what he offered me. He looks at me for a second or two.

"Coffee? I never took you for the type." Soma speaks in slightly surprise. I guess we both have misconceptions about each other. He gets up from his seat and heads to the opposite side of the room from where I am. I manage to catch a glimpse of a few electrical sockets that do not have plugs in them. There are a lot of sockets, most of which have cables leading to his monitors and keyboards. I disregard this though.

"Yeah, I just don't like the taste. There's not a lot of things I don't like, but tea is one of them." I comment as I try to keep the conversation flowing. Another thing I don't like is feeling awkward or being in an awkward situation; and it would definitely feel like that if the conversation didn't continue.

"That's a good reason. It's not exactly nice to consume something that you don't like the taste of. I feel the same way about the gloop of a dinner that the cafeteria usually serves." He replies as he plugs the kettle in, already filled with water, and waits for it to boil.

"That's why you're usually not here? You don't like the food?" I chuckle slightly as I speak just to make sure that he knows I'm joking.

"Heh, it could be one of the reasons." Even though he has his back to me, I have the feeling that he is smiling. The silence between us doesn't feel awkward now as we've ended the conversation on a good note. I glance around the room during this silence, occasionally looking back to Soma and watching him prepare our cups. I can't help but feel a bit excited for this cup of coffee as I'm yet to have one today. It will definitely wake me up. "You'll have to forgive me." He pours the now boiling water into the cups and walks towards me with one cup in each hand. "I don't make coffee too often." He places my cup on the table in front of me, rather than passing me it and making me grab the hot cup since his hand occupies the handle. I pick it up and immediately take a sip. It's very hot, and I can instantly tell that he doesn't make coffee too often. However, it isn't exactly inconsumable. He stands beside me rather than sitting down, opting to lean against the wall instead.

"I'm sorry I couldn't be more help during the battle with Julius." He speaks apologetically after a few seconds of silence. Julius… I haven't heard anyone speak his name for a while now. It's sort of a bummer whenever someone mentions his name, as he was the second person to disappear from my unit. Although, unlike the first, I still believe that Julius is alive, fighting within the spiral tree…

"Don't worry about it." I reply solemnly. To be fair, it wasn't his fight. He didn't need to take part.

"Hm…" He replies out of what I assume to be acknowledgement, not wanting to pursue the subject further. "Let me ask you something." He speaks with curiosity in his voice, I take a large gulp of coffee as he speaks. "What exactly did you come here to do?" That question takes me by surprise. "You've come rather far. What do you still hope to achieve?" He adds and rephrases, just to make sure that I knew he didn't have any ill-will in asking it. It takes me a few seconds to think of a response.

"Honestly, I have no clue." I recline in the chair, placing the almost empty cup of coffee on the table in front of me before I do so. I have no idea what I'm supposed to do. What my unit is supposed to do now. Psions aren't exactly becoming more and more popular. In fact, they've become a rare occurrence. So until then, we're just living life spontaneously with no larger goal in mind. Actually, that's wrong. Gilbert is learning how to take better care of a God Arc and how to improve them, Licca's protégé, if you will. Ciel is still trying to make efficient Blood Bullets. There's no doubt that she wants to let everyone, not just Blood use them. Even Nana has something that she's doing; experimenting with food and traps so that she can make effective items for battle. What am I doing though? Socialising with others. Going on missions with people. I'm not really pulling my weight as a member of Blood; as the Captain of Blood. Have people noticed that? Is that why Soma asked me?

"Then prepare your God Arc. I need your help with something." I look to Soma as he asks this with an incredulous look. It seems as though I'm going to continue going on missions with other people; continue socialising. I feel like I want to do more than just that though. Nevertheless, I quickly finish the remains of the cup of coffee. "I'll explain the rest when we get there."

"Are we going by helicopter?" If he wants me to bring my Arc, he must want to leave the branch to go somewhere, but will we be walking or taking some form of transport.

"Yes, I'll meet you up there." He raises his cup to his lips and takes a drink. I give a small wave as I leave his office… if that's what you want to call it. Maybe it's more like a laboratory.

After leaving him to his own devices for the time being, I wait for the lift to stop at this floor. I notice that it's coming down from the top floor. It stops at my floor and the doors open. I'm surprised to see that someone is already in the lift.

"Cedrick, there you are." Nana drags me into the lift. "I've been looking for you for a while."

"You have? And now that I think about it, shouldn't you have stepped off the lift when you found me? Why did you drag me on?" I try to reason with her unexplained action.

"You were standing there because you wanted to get on the lift, weren't you?" She tilts her head to the side and shows her confusion. The way she said that makes it sound so simple. Regardless, I notice that the lift still hasn't moved yet and look to where the buttons were. None of them were glowing. Nana was going to stop at this floor? Was she actually scouring the building for me? Anyway, I press the button for the God Arc Storage Warehouse floor.

"So why were you searching for me?" I turn back to her, noticing that she has one hand behind her back. She merely smiles before bringing her hand to the front with something on it.

"Ta-da!" She explains an excited voice. "Nana's super-awesome-mega new trap!" I inspect the trap and can't see anything different from any of the traps I usually use. During my inspection, I feel that the lift has started moving down.

"It looks pretty normal." I comment slowly, not wanting to upset Nana. She was clearly excited about showing me this, and I don't understand what the difference between this trap and others is.

"Tsk, tsk." She waves a finger at me, "It's not about what you can see, it's about what you can't! Of course Aragami aren't going to fall for any old trap! I took some bait that they'd like and included it so that they'd want to fall for this one!" My eyes widen and I'm sure I feel my stomach threatening to barf up the coffee I've just had. Don't Aragami like to eat meat? You know, other Aragami, _human meat_. That sort of thing.

"What's in it?" I nervously ask her, I can feel my knees already beginning to wobble.

"Aragami have a pattern in the places they like to eat, so I took dirt from all those places." She explains, and my fears disappear. My knees no longer threaten to wobble.

"They… might like that?" It sounds more like a question, but I'm just really confused. I'm glad that she hasn't included meat in the trap, but will dirt work?

"That's exactly what Licca said!" She replies, her face no longer adorning a smile and her voice now sounds slightly unsure. "I think it's a pretty good idea…" The lift stops at the God Arc Storage Area floor. "I'll just have to try it and see for myself! Some Aragami are on the way! Come on!" Nana's spirits are back up as she rushes out of the lift, but…

"Wait, Nana!" I shout as I run out of the lift too and she comes to a stop.

"I was already going to help Soma with something." I explain to her.

"What?! We haven't been on a mission in ages! It's about time you spend some time with your own unit!" She reasons, sounding sad but also quite angry. I can't deny the fact that I haven't been seeing my own unit as much as I should. Have I even saw any off them in the past few days?

"I suppose you're right…" I tell her with a sigh, and a smile reforms on her face. "But I still need to help Soma…" I bring a hand to my chin as I assume a thinking position, wondering what I should do. I could go on a mission with Nana after helping Soma, but that would depend on how tiresome Soma's mission is.

"You can just bring me along." Her sudden suggestion brings me out of my thoughts. Why didn't I think of that?

"Yeah, I don't think Soma would mind if I brought you along." Nana merely smiles in response. "Okay then, get your stuff ready… Ah wait, you were probably already ready. Well, let's grab our Arcs and head to the roof."

As we wait in the helicopter for Soma, Nana can't help but shuffle in her seat a few times beside me.

"You're excited to try out your new trap, yeah?" I already know the answer, but I say it merely to start a conversation.

"Yeah, sorry I can't stay still…" She has the nerve to look sheepish.

"You're aware about that?" I thought she was subconsciously doing it, but if she's aware then she must be really excited.

"Sorry about the wait." I hear Soma's voice from the outside of the helicopter. He jumps in and sits across from me with his God Arc in hand. "I was…" He trails off as he notices Nana beside me.

"Yeah, I got scolded. She said I wasn't spending enough time with my own unit." I rub my head with a sheepish smile. "You don't mind if she comes along do you?" Soma merely looks to the side with a smile on his face, closing his eyes as if he's saw something similar before.

"Not at all."

"Hehe, thanks." Nana gives a cute giggle before silence looms over us. An awkward silence. It continues this way despite the helicopter lifting off of the ground and with us being well into the air. Nana continues bouncing in her seat. I'm sure that Soma has become attentive to it by now too.

"So…" Soma speaks up, "are you two together?" He points at the two of us. I can already tell that he's misunderstood what's going on.

"No." Nana and I unknowingly refuse at the same time, and that makes Soma smile.

"Why else would she be bouncing around beside you." He speaks to me, and I finally know what caused the misunderstanding. I was right about him knowing about Nana bouncing around.

"Nana wants to try out a new trap she was working on." I make sure to mention Nana's name, because I don't think they've met yet. At the mention of the trap, Nana brings it out again and shows it to Soma.

"A new trap? It looks like any other." Soma speaks with confusion in his voice. I smile inwardly, already beginning to feel Déjà vu.

Strangely, as we come to our destination, still in the helicopter, I find it weird that we are still miles away from the Forgotten Carrier. In fact, we seem to be flying near an island. It can't be that this island is our destination, right? Although, I do remember a few God Eaters telling me about this island. I thought it was no longer used though.

"This is Aegis." Soma begins, and it seems as though this island is our destination. "It was originally built as a shelter, meant to house all humankind during a global catastrophe." Soma explains, and I look at the island incredulously. How the hell is an island supposed to protect _all of humankind_ against a global catastrophe? It doesn't make any sense.

"How could everybody in the world fit on one island?" It seems that Nana is thinking the same thing.

"It doesn't matter now. The global catastrophe never occurred. Now, we use a gathering pheromone to lure specific Aragami to this place." He gives a light chuckle before continuing. "Ironic… our safe haven has become a trap. I heard somewhere that people used to use the same trick to get rid of dangerous insects." I have the feeling that Soma wanted to continue talking, but a sudden transmission from Hibari doesn't allow him to.

"We've activated the pheromone to lure in the Kongou. ETA – 3 minutes."

"3 minutes?!" Nana repeats in worry. "I need to set my trap!" She jumps from the helicopter, which has since brought us a lot closer to the ground. I'm not sure if Nana thinks that she's just going to need a lot of time to set up her own trap, or whether she thinks that she'll never make it to the ground in time. Either way, I don't pursue.

"She's trying out her own trap?" Soma asks in surprise, the two of us still on the helicopter, although we are now standing at the exit.

"It seems that way." I give a sigh. She seems too excited for this, but would she really be Nana if she wasn't so energetic? "You don't mind, do you?"

"No." He looks to me as he answers before looking back at the ground, "maybe it will work in tandem with the pheromone. That would make our jobs a little bit easier. Shall we?" He says before jumping out of the helicopter. It only takes him two seconds to land on the ground. I follow him, jumping out as well.

We eventually all catch up to each other. Nana has taken the liberty of hiding to the side of a large pillar. We can't really hide behind anything other than pillars since there's nothing else to hide behind.

"Kongou arrival in ETA – 1 minute" Hibari informs us, and it seems as though Nana has set up her trap right in the middle of the battlefield. I transform my Arc into Gun Form, prepared to shoot it. I catch Soma taking a glimpse at my Arc.

"A blast gun? I heard that you were a fan of sniper guns." He speaks with a little bit of confusion.

"I shouldn't limit myself to one type." I tap on my Arc to emphasise my point. I mean, I'll always stick with a short blade; I do like to get up close and personal. Now that we're on the topic of God Arcs. I notice that Soma doesn't have an option for a gun. He mustn't be a New-Type. How long has he been working as a God Eater?

"Kongou arrival is imminent!" Hibari warns us, and thus stops me from furthering the conversation.

"Everyone, be prepared. Oh, and…" I look towards him. I think that Nana is probably looking towards him too. What else could he possibly have to say? "Remember the golden rule." At our confused stares, he elaborates. "Don't run away from living." It would be sound advice, if I understood it. I look to Nana and she shows her confusion as well. I merely nod towards Soma with a smile, telling him that I understand it. I have a feeling that he is the type to reflect on everything he does, and this would probably be an embarrassing moment for him if nobody understood what he meant.

THUD

Perfect timing, I couldn't help but think to myself as a Kongou jumps into the area about 100 metres from where we are now. It hasn't noticed us yet, but it is facing us, and seems to be interested in what a scent in the air. It completely ignores Nana's trap, whom I have no doubt is feeling quite sour about it and pushes its nose into the air as it tries to identify the source of the scent. It wanders around the island, steadily growing more and more frustrated. As it passes by the pillar that we're hiding behind. We jump out and immediately let loose on it. I fire as many Blaze bullets as I can before reverting my Arc to Melee Form and going for piercing blows on its arm. Nana, on the other hand is opting to crush the Aragami under the weight of her Boost Hammer. Soma, like me, is going for separate limbs. After a few consecutive stabs, I notice the Kongou seemingly bracing and retreat a few steps, knowing instantly that its planning on a very close-range attack using condensed air. The Kongou stops building up the air pressure as Nana slams it in the face with a devastating attack. I immediately resume my own attacks.

"How can this be?!" We hear Hibari through a transmission.

"What is it, Hibari?" I ask in response to her surprise.

"A goldon Gboro-Gboro is heading in your direction!" She announces in surprise. "How didn't I notice this before?! ETA is 30 seconds!" Hibari informs us, and basically tells us to hurry and kill the Kongou and then work on the Gboro-Gboro.

"It seems like your trap must have worked, Nana." Soma speaks up after he backs away from the monster's rear legs.

"Huh?" Nana and I respond in confusion. I'm getting confused very often lately…

"The pheromone was only meant to lure in Kongous. It seems as though your trap is luring in a very rare Aragami, and thus, very rare materials." He reasons and Nana giggles.

"Well, of course! My traps are amazing!" I think it's safe to say that Nana is no longer salty that this Kongou wasn't interested in her attack.

"The Golden Gboro-Gboro is on the island!" Hibari announces and we realise we don't have much time. It's likely that the Gboro-Gboro will attempt to leave if it sees us God Eaters waiting for it while killing another Aragami. With that in mind, I put everything I have into the next piercing blow. The Kongou falls to the ground with a final breath. We don't have time to dawdle though so while Soma extracts its core, Nana and I hide behind the nearest pillar. Seconds later, Soma joins us. A few more seconds later, the Golden Gboro-Gboro makes itself known; smashing to the ground and quickly heading to Nana's trap. I hear Nana's feet lightly bouncing on the floor. She has a very wide smile on her face, and I can only imagine her thinking "go on, go for it" over and over again. That puts a smile on my face as well.

"Now!" Soma shouts and we storm towards the beast, Nana sprints past us and takes the lead. Her excitement clearly showing on her face…

Now, I know that Golden Gboro-Gboros aren't very powerful, but there's no way this one was killed in 20 seconds. Although, I feel as though Nana's energy to constantly swing her Boost Hammer at the beast is what killed it. It's almost as though that hammer drains her stamina. How strong must this girl be?!

"Nicely done, Captain." Soma speaks from beside me, watching Nana bounce around the beast as she harvests a ton of material that isn't the Aragami's core. This is because Soma's already extracted the core. "Nana did a good job too. I wasn't expecting a Golden Gboro-Gboro to fall for her trap."

"She probably put a lot of work into it, so it's good to see that she's being rewarded for her efforts." I smile at Nana's energy.

"That's a very Captain-like thing to say." I look to Soma as he speaks this, a smile on his face as well. "If you don't mind, I'd like you to continue assisting me in this research." A nod is my answer. Although I said earlier that I could be doing a lot more, I a" ctually feel like I'm being of use when I help Soma. "You know where I'll be. Whenever you're so inclined, stop by the lab." He finishes before walking away slightly. "I'll head back to the helicopter. Don't take too long." He informs me, which is probably his way of telling me to give Nana some attention and then bring her back to the helicopter to head back to the Den. In response, I do exactly that and head towards Nana.

"What'd ya think? My trap was pretty good, huh?" She asks with a wide smile on her face, already knowing my answer. That's why…

"I'm not sure…"

"It totally was!" Her smile disappears, and I wonder if I said the wrong thing. "You gotta pay attention!"

"We're just lucky that Hibari was paying attention, and that that Kongou went down so quickly. Otherwise, we might have had a tough time." I remark. "But you did do well. Not even Soma expected you to attract a Golden Gboro-Gboro. He's probably considering it a bonus." I give her a smile to try and cheer her up.

"I know, right? I'm going to work even harder for my next trap." She speaks with excitement.

"You're going to continue making them?" I further the conversation.

"Yeah!" She gives an enthusiastic nod to go with her answer. "Because we're doing this, your Blood Power is making mine grow like crazy. I definitely felt a lot stronger." I just smile at her response. I highly doubt it was just her blood power and blood arts that made everything go swimmingly today. In fact, it was probably her high levels of energy that made everything a lot easier for Soma and I. "So, I promise that if I come up with a good idea for next time, I'll definitely use it!" Nana finishes and I give her a nod of the head.

"We should hurry back though. Soma is waiting at the helicopter. Have you got everything you can?"

"Yeah, but there's a lot of stuff left… I know! You can carry some too!" She waves arm at all of the little bits of materials she's harvested from the rare Aragami, and I pale at the sight of the small mountain.


	84. Chapter 84 - A masochist and a sadist

Chapter 84

DISCLAIMER: I DO NOT OWN THE GOD EATER FRANCHISE HOWEVER I DO OWN MY OC.

Also, please leave a review!

Name: Cedrick Esparza  
Gender: Male  
Hairstyle: Style 7 (Dark Brown)  
God Arc: Freezing Maiden II (Short Blade), F-BF Shot (Blast Gun), Kurogane Tower A (Shield)  
Blood Art: Raider Stab III

It's now late into the afternoon; not quite evening yet, and I still feel like I've got something to prove today. I'll give Soma some time to do whatever he needs to do with the materials he extracted earlier, and I'll give Nana some time to make a new trap. So, until at least tomorrow, I've got nothing to do. Which is why, I've decided to head back to the lounge. It's seem to become my usual place for doing nothing at all. I don't watch the television. I don't play pool. I don't even pet the capybara. I just do nothing. It's good to do nothing at times, but I'm doing nothing all too regularly. But the peace and quiet in here is like no other place. That is until, a familiar couple, or rather, God Eater and bodyguard that also is a God Eater, comes into the lounge.

"Why do you have to follow me everywhere I go?!" The all too familiar scolding of Erina to Emil doesn't surprise me. I've grown used to it, and by the sight of the others in the lounge, they've grown accustom to it too. I decide to just watch their exchange, while the others pay it no mind. I've always had a certain fear when watching those two bicker. I just hope that I'm fretting over nothing.

"I'd have thought you would have known the answer to that by now. It's so that I can protect you-"

"I don't need you to protect me! I'm a God Eater! I don't need to be protected! I protect others!" Erina's voice is bordering on irritation and anger.

"Yes, but even God Eaters need protecting. That's why we're highly encouraged to never take missions alone." Emil replies calmly and simply. It's almost as if they've had this conversation a lot of times. I seem to get Déjà vu every time I watch these two.

"That's why I've been searching for the Blood Captain! I don't need you to come with me when Cedrick will be!" I didn't expect my name to come up in their bickering. I start to pay a bit more attention to the two of them. Actually, now that I think about it, it seems as though Erina is ready to go on a mission seeing as how she has a backpack full of things. I'll assume these things are restore pills. Emil, on the other hand, does not have anything packed.

"I think you'll find that Cedrick is unavailable at the minute." Emil speaks calmly, but his demeanour seems to be that of someone who is cockier. Why am I unavailable? Am I supposed to be somewhere?

"And how do you know that?" Erina asks the question that I also want the answer to. Her posture seems to say 'you dare give me an excuse to take you with me.' It's clear that they both haven't noticed me. I'm not surprised though, I am on the opposite side of the room to them.

"I asked Hibari as to his whereabouts. She informed me of his intentions to help Dr. Soma." Emil reasons,, waving his arms dramatically as he usually does so when he thinks he is in charge of a conversation.

"Oh yeah?" It doesn't seem like Erina is buying Emil's reason. I would buy it if it weren't me that they were talking about. I notice Erina put her hands on her hips, and I can almost imagine a frown on her face. "When did you ask her?"

"T'was merely this morning. You know how long Dr. Soma can be out for when he's doing his research." If Emil had long hair, I'd imagine that he'd flick it smugly. That's how he sounded anyway. Erina shifts her weight to one leg.

"Ha!" Even though her back is turned to me, I know there's a smile on her face. "I asked Hibari only ten minutes ago." Emil stops twirling his hair around one finger. "She said that Soma and Cedrick had both returned a while ago."

"Are you two arguing again?" Oh, an unexpected voice makes people aware of a new challenger's presence. Kota emerges from the door with a displeased look on his face. "Everyone can hear you out there."

"Sorry, Captain Kota."

"I apologise, Captain." Are the respective responses from the two other parties. I guess I don't need to worry about them anymore.

"Do I even need to ask what you two were arguing about?" I see Kota rub his medium length hair with a hand. I'm forced to keep watching the three of them now, due to Kota's mistake. It takes him a second or two before he realises it.

"Emil keeps…"

"Erina said…" The two begin to rant again, this time to Kota. I kind of feel bad for him, but his mistake was asking about the argument and letting it continue. Well, with Kota there, I guess I don't have anything to worry about.

Another minute passes by, and I still opt to watch their exchange. If I'm honest, it's only because it isn't boring, but it does look as though things are heating up. I decide to turn back to face the wall, not wanting to show myself in their conversation. If I did, I'd get caught up in the argument too.

Again, another minute passes by and I feel a material of sorts tapping on my shoulder. I nonchalantly turn my head, only to see the giant head of the very lifelike teddy bear I once saw Kanon talking to. My throat begins to feel dry. I don't see why the person in the suit doesn't just introduce themselves to me already. Its very presence is beginning to scare me. It just stares at me before it points in the direction of the three parties that are still in the argument. I haven't really been listening to them, but now I know why the person in the teddy bear suit grabbed my attention.

"I'm only doing this as your brother cannot." Emil reasons, and I wince.

"Emil, man…" Kota calls him out in a soft voice. I'm surprised that Emil would bring up a dead person like that. What concerns me the most is how Erina will take it though. I carefully observe her. Her head is down and I can see the nape of her neck. Her arms are held loosely at her side, unlike her fists which are balled up and seemingly ready to give Emil a knuckle sandwich. This is what I feared; Emil taking it too far. Before Erina can land a hit on Emil, I rush from my seat and put a hand on Erina's shoulder. I speak immediately, but I hadn't even thought about what I was going to say.

"So… er… I heard you both were looking for me." I wasn't wrong. I heard it from their mouths directly, although they don't know that. I see that Erina has since brought her head back up, and I notice the surprise on her face that she saw me right now.

"Cedrick?" The three of them speak up collectively.

"Yeah, the two of them wanted to know where you were." Kota seems relieved to see me, judging by his exasperated smile. At this point, I take my hand off Erina's shoulder.

"I want to go on a mission!" Erina exclaims, seemingly now over her anger for Emil.

"I wish to accompany the two of you." Or so I thought. Emil's sudden wish to join us is going to cause me some more trouble.

"Huh? Why?" Erina's as baffled as I am.

"Did I not say that I was also looking for Cedrick? I was hoping he could teach me how to use traps." He responds in a calm and collected manner. I wonder if I will ever see him angry. Before Erina tries to retort Kota interrupts.

"Why don't you both go with Cedrick? Kill two birds with one stone, right?" He gives me a thumbs-up and a cheeky smile. I swear he's just flogging off them both off onto me so that they can argue somewhere where they can't be heard… except by each other and me.

"I suppose I could take you both on a mission." I speak in a dejected tone, making it clear that I don't want them _both_ to accompany me. I'd be fine with just one of them. I have a feeling I'm going to have a big headache. In a way, I guess this is a punishment of sorts. If I had stepped into their argument earlier, Kota wouldn't have needed to and thus he wouldn't have suggested me taking them both. Emil would have still wanted me to teach him about traps, but I could have told him to wait until after I had helped Erina.

"See, Captain Cedrick doesn't mind." Kota still smiles, "Why don't you both get ready and meet him in the helicopter so that you don't keep him waiting." Kota seems more than happy to kick the two of them out of the branch. Erina merely nods her head and Emil smiles. They both leave the lounge, leaving Kota and I behind. I give a huge sigh to indirectly say I don't agree with Kota's actions.

"Sorry about this." He at least has the nerve to look sheepish. "I just thought it would be better to deal with them both in one go rather than you having to go on separate missions with them." He rubs the back of his head.

"You owe me for this." I comment simply before walking out of the lounge.

"Wait, how do I owe you for this? They were both looking for you anyway!" He shouts, not bothering to follow me. I smile though, he knows I've got the last word in. I wonder how he will make it up to me.

"Right," I speak up to get my students' attention. Usually I'd only speak to the one student at a time, but at the moment I have two. "Emil, you wanted to learn how to use traps." I remind him of why he is here. Erina probably still wants to train so that she can perfect her Blood Art. "So, while Erina and I attract the Aragami's attention, I want you to set up a couple of traps. Remember, since Borg Camlann's have a wide range of attacks, you need to prepare these traps with its moveset in mind." We're just up against a regular Borg Camlann so it shouldn't be too difficult. Emil only nods, and keeps his head down. I stare at him for a few seconds, wondering why he wasn't speaking at all. I can't ask him about it now because we need to kill the threat, so I'll ask him about it later. "Erina, you ready?"

"Yep, and keep an eye out for my Blood Art this time!" I give a little chuckle at her response, and spare another look at Emil. He rummages through his backpack which is notably full of unset traps. It does take a while to set up traps, so I'll him to his own devices.

"Let's go, Erina." I start a light jog to the Aragami's last known location and hear another set of footsteps following mine. I make sure to put my Arc in Melee Form for this battle.

10 minutes later, and well into the fight with the Borg Camlann, I decide it's time for the finishing blow.

"Erina, let's try and bring it to the trap now." I inform her, only narrowly dodging a fatal blow from the Aragami.

"Right!" She shouts from behind the beast's legs and gives a couple of swings at them to attract its attention. "Over here!" She shouts and the monster turns towards her. Erina breaks into a sprint and the Borg Camlann follows her. I follow the Aragami, keeping and eye on both of them in case the Aragami gets too close.

Half a minute later, and we're almost to where we left Emil.

"Ready, Emil?" I ask just to make sure.

"Tis a cowardly tactic!" The other man wails in response and jumps from a corner to give the beast a surprise attack.

"What do you mean, Emil? Where's the trap?" I ask in a bit of a panic as well as in a hurry. The Aragami had quickly brushed off Emil's surprise attack. It seems as though it has a lot of fight in it.

"There is none! My pride would not allow me!" At Emil's words, my eye twitches.

"For fucks sake, Emil!" I exclaim, expressing my anger with that one shout as well as embedding it into my attacks. For each of my attacks, I pull my arm back further and use the power of my legs more. The beast no longer stood a chance.

After extracting the core, I marched up to Emil. I can already feel a pain developing in my head.

"What the hell were you doing then?" I ask since he clearly wasn't setting up a trap.

"I was trying to get over my pride, but I couldn't." His answer, while full of sincerity, is complete and utter bollocks. "I had the opportunity to set a trap during the battle. Still I could not bring myself to use the device. 'Tis cowardly! Dishonorable!" I swear, this _knight_ needs to get over his pride and _nobility_. "I swore I would discard this foolish pride. I swore to defend others by any means necessary!"

"Here we go again." Erina chimes in, having finished harvesting materials from the Aragami's corpse. It seems as though she's heard all of this before as she stands by my side, looking on as we both listen to Emil.

"Yes, the mission was a success. Yes, the innocent are safe from harm. Yet I failed my oath! And for that, there is no forgiveness. I implore you! Strike me! I must accept due punishment!" He pleads with me with an honest look, but I can't comprehend his reasoning.

"What? I can't hit a friend." I wonder if-

"Have you hit your head too hard or something?" Erina looks just as confused as I do, although she still acts like her old self.

"I know you must think me mad, but it is a matter of honour!" He attempts to reason with me again. "There!" He brandishes his cheek and points to it a couple of times, "Lay one on me!"

"Have you become a masochist?" Erina's utterly confused voice makes me chuckle slightly, and eases my anger.

"Strike me! You must! I demand satisfaction! Hit me! Right in the kisser! Finish it! Aaah!" He shakes with anticipation. I'm really starting to believe that Erina might be onto something, calling Emil a masochist. Still though, I can't hit him.

"Well, he definitely wants you to hit him." I look to Erina as she speaks up, a smiling face that meets my own. However, her smile seems to be a sinister one. "You should take this opportunity. I bet an invitation like this won't come around again." I look back to Emil, seeing that he is still bracing for it. I raise my fist, an lightly hit him on the cheek.

"What?! That's not enough!" Erina shouts in surprise at my feeble attempt at disciplining Emil. "It needs to be more like this!" She does a mock punch in the air, pulling her body backwards and bending her knees before correcting her position with what looks like a very powerful punch.

"She is right." I turn back to Emil as he speaks, no longer bracing for a punch. "I admire your strong will not to hit a fellow knight, but if I do not receive punishment, I will not learn." I merely sigh at Emil's reasoning.

"If you insist, Emil." I tell him, a hand holding my head to try and nurse back a headache. "I'll take a running start." I backstep multiple times.

"A running start? Nice!" Erina commends my line of thinking. I'm pretty sure that she just wants me to hit him because of what Emil said to her earlier; bringing up the death of her brother in the way that he did.

"A running start? Surely that isn't necessary." If Emil wasn't shaking before, he is now.

"No backing out now!" I shout from about ten metres away. "Brandish your cheek!" He does so, shaking all the while. I sprint towards him with a fist raised. "You asked for this, remember?" It was more of an instruction that a question, but I wasn't really thinking about that. I just thought this would be a good way of releasing some pent up steam that Emil caused by not setting that trap. I pull back fist back as I get closer to him, and then push it through the air and make it impact with his cheek.

"WRAAA!" He screams as the punch connects and he is sent flying and tumbling backwards. He eventually hits some sort of large rock which pushes him up into the sky and sends him twirling. He may be far away from us at this point, but I can still see a smile on his face. He's happy with his punishment? Masochistic bastard. Eventually, he stops tumbling through the air after impacting against a wall.

"What a hit! You've got to teach me how to do that!" It's hard to ignore Erina's own sadistic tendencies but I walk up to Emil as he stumbles to get up. Erina following behind me. I extend a hand to the man currently gasping for air.

*gasp* "Th-Thank you. A true strike. Fierce and terrible, yet with such serenity. Although I mostly feel the fierce and terrible." I can't help but smile at Emil's words. He can still joke around despite the strong hit he took.

"Now you know what awaits you if you need to be punished again." It wasn't until after I said it that I realise I sounded incredible sadistic.

"I believe I have seen a new side of myself." Huh? Emil can't possibly say he enjoyed the hit, right? "A new power is surging through my veins!"

"Please let that be your Blood Art." I plead with him, with a smile that matches my feelings.

"Together we must strive to be paragons of knighthood!" He babbles on.

"He's fine." Erina comments, and I selectively choose to ignore Emil as he garbles on about how knights must behave and the like. "Anyway, Captain! You saw it today, right?!" She exclaims with an excited look on her face.

"S-Sorry, Erina." I dismiss her, I was more focused on the safety of the group than watching her and her supposed Blood Art.

"What?! Oh… Y-You never watch…" *pout* Her sad face is soon overcome with a small smile. I wonder if she's just trying to hide her sadness though. "My Blood Art got even stronger! That Oracle shot was so intense!" I try to reflect on the battle, but I don't recall any oracle shots. "Okay, gotta breathe. Too soon to celebrate. I need to master it while I still remember how!" She quickly gets over her initial excitement to calm herself down. "Let's head to the training room when we get back!" My eyes widen in fear, "At this rate, I might even be able to beat you one day!"

"You know what Erina, I'm sure Emil would love to train with you! Since you know more about Blood Arts than him, you can see if what he feels really is a Blood Art, and not just something masochistic." I whisper the last part, mainly to myself, but I think Erina gets the message.

"But how will I know if my Blood Art is actually a Blood Art." She expresses in a sad tone.

"You'll know if it is or not." I quickly change the topic, "I'm tired now. Maybe I'll get a shower when I get back. I'll go and call Hibari asking for a helicopter to pick us up." I quickly speak up just so I can get some space away from them. I head behind a corner and slump down behind it, calling Hibari as well. I know for sure that a shower isn't going to make this headache go away…


	85. Chapter 85 - A faint spell

Chapter 85

DISCLAIMER: I DO NOT OWN THE GOD EATER FRANCHISE HOWEVER I DO OWN MY OC.

Also, please leave a review!

Name: Cedrick Esparza  
Gender: Male  
Hairstyle: Style 7 (Dark Brown)  
God Arc: Freezing Maiden II (Short Blade), F-BF Shot (Blast Gun), Kurogane Tower A (Shield)  
Blood Art: Raider Stab III

A/N: Just noticed that I left my notes on here. Hahaha.

The next day, instead of going into the lounge and waiting for something to happen. I decided to stay in my room. This way, I can avoid the headache inducing duo of Erina and Emil, at least for today. However, if they decide to come to my room, then I'm pretty much fucked. I'll have nowhere to escape to. I could say that I am going on a mission, but they'll probably want to tag along. After what happened yesterday, I don't want to go on a mission with them for a while. Arriving back at the Far East, I pretty much said that I don't want to see them for the rest of the day; I made sure to say it nicely though. I wasn't a dick about it, but I said I needed time for self-reflection. I didn't self-reflect at all, and just flopped onto the couch where I closed my eyes and enjoyed the silence. It felt so good that I never got back up. I was finally relaxing. I still haven't moved from the couch, almost 12 hours later. My body has grown used to the position and the awkward twists of the couch that it will be pretty painful to get up, but that will only strengthen my resolve to get up. If I don't get up now, I won't be able to later. With all of my might, I push off from the prone position on my couch and worm my way into a sitting position; my arms sprawled over the back of the couch.

"You seem to be pretty relaxed." Kota's sudden voice from the door alerts me as to his presence, but I don't move.

"Don't pass on your responsibilities to me, Kota." I grumble, eyes closed as I make sure to get my message across. It's his fault that Erina and Emil went on a mission with me. It's only natural for me to hold some sort of grudge against the person who was most likely loving the fact that he didn't have to deal with his own unit.

"I heard what happened during that mission." I can tell by the sound of his voice that he is smiling. "I never would have thought you'd hit the guy. I thought you were the calm and collected type." I wave my hand in the air in a physical expression of brushing off his comment.

"It was a mixture of things." I still don't bother to open my eyes. This is actually more calming than I thought. I was angry that Emil hadn't set a trap, thus ruining the plan. Then Erina _pressured_ me into it. There was also the fact that Emil wanted to be punished. "You probably heard everything from Erina." I add, implying that whatever she said was probably true. "You still owe me though." I open an eye, merely for dramatic effect. As I do so, I notice that he's since closed the door and is leaning against a wall. It's probably because there isn't much space in this room for another couch, and he'd be uncomfortable with sitting next to me in the position that I'm in. I'd be uncomfortable too. Speaking of uncomfortable, the way he rubs his neck with a nervous expression across his face shows that he's definitely nervous.

"Yeah, er…" His nervousness makes me divert all attention to him; no longer lazing around on the couch as I turn to face him. "Don't hate me for this, but…" that makes an eyebrow raise. It sounds almost as if he's selling me out; to whom I don't know. It just seems suspicious. "At the risk of owing you another one…"

"Just spit it out, Kota. You know I can't refuse many requests." A less than cheerful reminder about yesterday. He puts his hands together and gives me a pleading smile.

"Go on a mission with me?"

"All that nervousness for that?" Really? He was nervous about asking me to go on a mission with him? He wasn't like that before… Does he think I'll hit him during the mission? He can't be thinking that, right?

"Erina's been showing off about learning a Blood Art, I was kind of hoping that you'd help me learn one." His nervousness continues as he scratches his head.

"You're an Old-Type, right?" I ask of him, just to make sure. On the few missions that we've already been on, I haven't seen him use a Melee God Arc.

"There's nothing wrong with that!" He was quick to answer his time. "I'll show you what Old-Types can do!" He exclaims determinedly. Unfortunately though, I have to deflate his confidence.

"I should have rephrased that. You're limited to a gun, aren't you?" I wait for him to answer before continuing. He nods his head. "Only Melee Arcs can learn Blood Arts." I tell him outright. It wouldn't be right to beat around the bush. Just as he drops his confident posture, I make sure to quickly add.

"You can use Blood Bullets though."

"Really?" He looks hopeful, "Man, don't scare me like that. That's what I meant." He quickly forgets his depression over not being able to learn a Blood Art. I have a feeling that he didn't mean Blood Bullets though and he's just settling for whatever he can get. "So, wha d'ya think?"

"Yeah, I can try to teach you how to use Blood Bullets. Give me some time to get prepared though. Say, an hour from now?" I suggest, I wanted to try and work out the kinks that the couch would have given me.

"Great! Thanks, man. I'll meet you at a helicopter in an hour." He expresses his gratefulness with another smile before leaving. I guess I have a mission to get ready for.

Simply due to pure laziness, I don't get up from the couch for another 20 minutes. When I do though, I definitely feel it. My body aches and yet, I force it to comply. I stretch each limb out individually until I hear a satisfying crack.

"Aah." I sigh happily as I feel like I can move again. I leave my bedroom, and then head into the lounge with the intention of getting breakfast before getting ready for the mission.

As I sit in the lounge, sipping my noodles and occasionally taking a drink of coffee, a commotion starts as soon as someone enters through the door. I'm genuinely surprised that it isn't Emil or Erina that started it, they are present though.

"Settle down everyone." The cause of the commotion tries to settle everyone down. Now that I think about it, only a few of the people there are God Eaters. The others seem to be civillians. Now that I notice it, there are a lot of civillians here.

"Is there some sort of event going on?" I straighten my back and ask Mutsumi, whom I catch looking over to the woman causing the commotion. I'm looking too, and other than her beauty, I don't see anything to fawn over.

"What? Alisa's been away for so long. Of course people are going to miss her." Mutsumi exclaims and I remember that I haven't seen Alisa around for a long time. I never really wondered where she was.

"Ah, I guess so." I simply reply while observing Alisa's conversations with the civilians and other God Eaters while continuing to eat.

Eventually, I finish my noodles, just as Alisa's group begins to disperse. She walks to sit beside me, while having a simple conversation to Mutsumi.

"I'm back, Mutsumi." I can imagine Alisa smiling as she says this.

"I've noticed. You attracted a lot of attention as you walked in." Mutsumi speaks with a smile. "What can I get ya?"

"I'll take a hot cup of tea before a mission." Alisa replies, surprisingly me.

"You've just got back and you're going on a mission?" I feel like Mutsumi was about to ask the same thing, but I got there first. Alisa stares back at me blankly. Her look makes butterflies spin in my stomach. I turn to Mutsumi with an expression of 'did I say something wrong?' I hope that she answers, but she looks just as confused as I am.

"Kota never told you?" She asks with a surprised expression on her face, but it quickly changes into a happy one. "I guess I shouldn't rely on him then." She looks up to the ceiling with a smile. What didn't Kota tell me?

"I'm going on the mission with you and him." She looks back at me. "I heard him boasting about how he will finally be able to learn how to use Blood Bullets, so I asked him if I could come with you. I'm pretty interested in learning about using Blood Bullets _and_ a Blood Art." She smiles, perhaps too sweetly.

"You just want to show off, don't you?" I could see through her ruse, and judging by her quickly straightening posture, I guess I was right. Her smile disappears though.

"I've been wondering about whether I can get a Blood Art for a while now. I heard what you've done for Kanon. What you've done for Erina." She quickly looks back at me. "If I never heard that you've also been helping Emil, I would have thought you were hitting on all the girls with the promise of teaching them how to use a Blood Art or Blood Bullets." Her sudden suspecting glare sends a shiver down my spine.

"Don't worry, it's not like that. They're always seeking me out, just like you are doing now." I quickly dismiss her thought.

"I know it's not like that though." She answers with a smile, referring to how I've been helping everyone that's come to me. "So, by the end of the day, I at least want a timeframe of when you think I can learn it!" She exclaims happily.

"Haven't you just gotten back from your Cradle duties? Are you not tired? Learning a Blood Art can require days of practice, and days of interactions with me." I add at the end. It's not exactly a negative if I can spend time with a beauty like her. Maybe I'll really be able to see how she can cope with running, jumping and the likes when her jacket doesn't even fit her. Hopefully, I'll see a bit of something. A thought crosses my mind, as I remember Kanon's _training_ from a few says earlier. I quickly dismiss it though because Alisa isn't as ditsy as Kanon, I don't think anyway.

"I can handle it." She gives a confident smirk. "Are those bags under your eyes?" I point to them, at this point, Mutsumi arrives with Alisa's cup of tea. I hadn't even realised she left.

"Maybe you should stay and get some rest." She kicks in, having heard at least part of our conversation.

"I'm not tired, guys." Alisa tries to dismiss it. "Besides, if I don't start learning how to use a Blood Art today, that means I'm going to have to wait another day before I can learn to use it. I'm planning on going on a lot of missions with you today, Cedrick." She takes a sip of tea. I don't argue with her reasoning, but in the back of my mind, I reason that any sign of weariness during the mission and she won't be able to continue today. "When I was on my own, I never would have dreamed of this!" She cradles her cup of tea with both hands. Is she cold? "I was always aching to go. I needed to get so much done all at one."

"Exactly!" I stress, it sounds as though she's still doing it. "Take your time. I can still help you with your Blood Art training tomorrow." I make sure to emphasise every syllable so that she gets the message.

"Hehe! I will. I promise." She gives a hearty laugh. "Y'know I never pictured you playing doctor for me." I feel the heat rise to my face as she speaks that. Now she's got me thinking about playing doctor with her. Using a stethoscope on her body, giving her a breast exam… Oh yes! I want to play that now. Instead of going with a response like 'Don't make me play doctor then' I casually say,

"I don't mind playing doctor." Of course, there's no way she knows what I mean, but the offer is open for her to accept. She takes a larger gulp of tea this time. I can only watch as her neck bulges from the liquid. I force myself to look away, but the sight will forever be engraved on my mind. Why am I so perverted?

Eventually, the mission begins with the three of us – Alisa, Kota and I, waiting on a ledge (Wailing Plains) so that we can scout out our targets. This mission doesn't appear to be a very difficult one, especially considering our targets. A Yaksha Raja, 5 Zygotes and 2 Dreadpikes.

"Looks like all the Aragami have gathered up." Alisa comments what we all can see. Kota and I lead the group with Alisa tagging behind.

"I'll cover you guys." Kota chips in. He should try and kill a lot of the enemies. It isn't just my very presence that can increase the likelihood of learning how to use Blood Bullets; the person needs to kill at least a few Aragami.

"We could probably hit them all with a radial attack." I have a hand to my chin and observe the situation as I say this before turning to Kota. "We might not kill them all in one go, but it might be a lot easier." I add.

"Alisa and I don't use radial bullets. Do you?" Kota looks hopeful. I merely sigh which gives him the answer.

"You ready?" He asks and I give a nod. "Let's do this!" I'm just about to jump off the ledge when Kota speaks up again. "Huh? A-Alisa?" I turn toward the girl in question and see her wobblying on her feet.

"…" Her wobbling grows very unsteady. Kota and I begin to worry. "hhhh" she utters before she falls to the ground.

"Alisa!" Kota shouts while I manage to jump into the way of her and the ground and she falls against my chest.

"Easy there." Before I let my mind wander into overdrive about how there's an unconscious girl on my chest, I place her on the floor.

"Hey! Stay with me!" Kota sounds very worried, and I fear that he's going to hyperventilate.

"Stay calm, Kota. She's just tired." I say in a calm, regular voice. If the two of us began to hyperventilate, it wouldn't be very good. Although, I have no idea what to do in this situation, I don't tell Kota that though.

"She pushed herself too hard… again." I raise my head to meet Kota's after understanding his words.

"How often does this happen?"

"Too often." He merely responds. I feel my teeth grinding against each other and my fists ball up.

"I knew I shouldn't have let her come along." My angry tone doesn't bode well with Kota.

"She would have still tried to come with us." He sighs.

"uuh" A groan from the woman lain out on the floor attracts our attention. Her eyes flicker open and meet my own before her eyes turn to Kota. Within a second, she shoots up from the ground. "Sorry… I was just a bit dizzy. I'm good now. I'm fine." She pushes herself off the ground.

"Alisa… Come on…" Kota tries to reason with her, but fails. I guess it's my job to reason with her then.

"Alisa, you can't continue." I speak in a slow, caring voice as I try to get the message across.

"I'm all right." She stands back up, God Arc in hand. "It was just a head rush, I promise. Come on, let's finish this." As she stands, I stand too. I can see that she wants to finish this mission, but…

"You're going to have to wait until tomorrow before we can go all out for Blood Art training, Alisa." She stares back at me with a sad stare; she knew it was coming. "You're in no condition to continue fighting for the rest of the day. We're taking you to the infirmary when we get back." I give Kota a stern look to make him agree with me.

"Yeah, Alisa. You need some rest. Maybe we should rethink this whole thing?" He suggests, referring to the mission at hand.

"You should cover the rear." I suggest to her.

"Good call!" Kota likes the idea. "Alisa can cover us from behind. Like… way, way behind." Ideally, that's what I intended. Maybe she should stay here and act like a sniper, but she has an assault gun, like me. It's not very good at very long range.

"I don't think I need to be THAT far behind, Kota." Alisa seems willingly to go with our new plan, but not willing to act as a sniper. "But… thank you, anyway." She turns to me, "I'll defer to your will, Captain." With our new job roles settled, we head into battle.

"Where's the usual girl?" A male engineer whom I've met before asks as he holds an envelope in his hand. After the mission, Kota had walked with Alisa to the infirmary, just to make sure she actually went. I, on the other hand, was given the task of nothing. I was free. That was until this guy showed up, asking where Alisa was.

"She's been told to rest for the day." I answer him simply. I'm the one who told her to do that, but I'm sure the infirmary staff would agree with me.

"People like her always try to do everything on their own. It's never wrong to ask for help." This guy seems to be a nice guy. He must have noticed the time and effort that Alisa's been putting into her projects, whether it be with Cradle or the Satellite Bases. "I guess I can give this to you. Give it to the commander when you see her." He holds out the envelope for me to take and I do so. "It's the plans for the new factory. I'll manage the construction. Tell her to take a breather now and again. We can handle this." I nod my head and he leaves me. I suppose I should take this to her now. I could probably leave it by her bedside while she rests…

"I'm fine!" Alisa grumbles as she sees me walking in through the infirmary door. She wasn't too happy that I had Kota bring her here. I walk over to her bed. "Just… a little overworked. Nurse Yae already told me off for pushing myself, so I don't need to hear it from you." She must have thought I was going to tell her off. I smile at the thought of it.

"Get some rest." I merely say to her.

"I know, I know… Thanks." She groans, losing her mildly annoyed tone. "I might want to rest, but that doesn't stop my minds from running through every possible scenario. The simple truth is… this project will never succeed unless I make it. The people here need to really believe in us. But the civilians know how it feels to be abandoned. They don't trust Fenrir… or me." She calmly explains why she can't rest. "The only way to earn that trust is to show them I deserve it. To work even harder! A commander must work from the front!" Her voice rises with determination.

"You're doing fine, Alisa." I haven't heard much about the project, but they say no news is good news.

"You really think so?... I guess I don't." She explains before becoming panicked. "Well…! I'm afraid this is just the way I am…"

"Did you plan this scenario?" I smile devilishly at my own joke and hand over the envelope that the engineer gave me.

"What's this?" She opens up the envelope and gives it a quick skim through. "Plans? For a new factory?" She appears utterly surprised. "Why would-? They hated the idea of factories. They insisted we establish food supplies instead."

"I have no idea why. All I know is that some engineer gave that envelope to me so that I could give it to you. I had no idea about its contents." I explain to her.

"I see… It was Kunio… Of course it was." Ah, that name rings a bell. So that guy's name is Kunio? *sigh* "Maybe I have been pushing myself too hard." She reasons, and my eyes open wide in surprise. Has she realised it now? "I thought I knew what these people wanted, but I guess I really have no clue. I shouldn't have tried to do all this on my own. I should have known I'd screw this up…" Now it looks even less like she's had a revelation and is now just blaming herself.

"You know, we could kill two birds with one stone here." I wait for her to become interested before continuing. "We could continue your training for your Blood Art while we work in the satellite bases. I wouldn't mind helping." I suggest to her, and I smile at how promising the idea actually sounds.

"Really? Hehe… That's very sweet of you." I liked that laugh. "Still, I don't want to be a burden. Not on you, not on anyone…" She quickly resumes her sad tone. "Wait!" She stands up quickly, the suddenness surprising me. "I'll return the favour! That way it's not charity, yeah? Whenever you need me, I'll be there. Sound fair?" She proposes and I give a mock thinking gesture.

"I think you need to add something else…"

"And I promise I won't push myself so hard." With her added comment, I give a nod.

"That will work." I smile.

"Excellent! Yeah, I can't wait to start working together." She speaks in a tone that matches her happy words.

"We start tomorrow, yeah?" I ask, just to make sure and she nods her head, humming a positive sound which I'll take as a yes. I suppose I'll be doing some work at the satellite camps again. Maybe I can just fend off Aragami. At least I'll be there with a beauty though…


	86. Chapter 86 - What will happen next?

Chapter 86

DISCLAIMER: I DO NOT OWN THE GOD EATER FRANCHISE HOWEVER I DO OWN MY OC.

Also, please leave a review!

Name: Cedrick Esparza  
Gender: Male  
Hairstyle: Style 7 (Dark Brown)  
God Arc: Freezing Maiden II (Short Blade), F-BF Shot (Blast Gun), Kurogane Tower A (Shield)  
Blood Art: Raider Stab III

"Rise and shine, Cedrick!" Through my light sleep, I hear Alisa's voice quickly followed by the sound of my curtains opening abruptly. Without even opening my eyes, I feel them burn as the sun's rays seep through my window.

"Why?" I groan and try to retreat into my blanket, my head sinking under the covers. It's too early to be awake. It feels like it's only just dawn. Why does Alisa want me to wake up now? I know I said I'd help her, but not this early in the morning!

"Once the sun's up, it's time for work!" She exclaims happily, and I feel her hands on my blanket. Is she going to try and rip the blanket off of me?

"Hahaha! You plan on forcing me to get up by taking away my blanket?" I laugh at her plan, and how I know it will fail.

"That's right. Without your blanket, you'll begin to feel cold which will force you to move to warm up." Without even looking, I know that she's smiling at her plan.

"I wouldn't do that if I were you." I sing musically. I feel her grip tighten on my blanket. My own grip tightens too. There's no mistake that this whole conversation has woken me up, but this is my chance to have a laugh at Alisa's expense.

"Oh, why not?" There's no longer a smile on her face, and I feel her starting to pull the blanket. I let her pull it past my bare shoulders before I say anything.

"I sleep naked." I smile deviously as Alisa continues pulling my blanket, still yet to process my words. Half a second must pass before she processes my words, takes her grip off of my blanket and jumps backwards.

"Y-You're joking, right?" She almost seems to be pleading, but I'm sure she's already began to see my bare back. I sit up and face her, allowing the blanket to fall below my torso. My smile widens as I point to yesterday's clothes lying on the floor. I watch as her eyes follow where I'm pointing and see her quickly look back into my eyes as soon as she realises what's on the floor.

"You want to continue?" I give her a suggestive wink.

"W-well, I think you're awake now." Alisa breaks eye contact so she can brush off her clothes. I have no idea why as it doesn't look as though there is any dust on her cradle uniform. "I'll go wait outside while you get ready." She briskly walks out of my room. I chuckle loudly as soon as she leaves. She won't be coming to wake me up on a morning anymore. Nevertheless, I know it's not polite to keep a woman waiting so I get ready quickly.

Five minutes later, I walk out of my room and lock the door.

"So, why the early wake up call?" I smile devilishly, reminding her of the situation five minutes ago. She looks to the side, with her eyes closed, as she explains.

"I want you to collect some materials. I heard from Hibari that a lot of the materials can be harvested from the Aragami that are currently in the Tranquil Temple." I notice her arms folded. She's not upset with me, I know that much; otherwise she wouldn't have waited for me and let me help her. She's probably just angry that I pulled a stunt like that but doesn't know how to express it. It'll subside with time though. By the time I've completed my task, she'll have forgiven me.

"What materials do you need and what Aragami do I need to kill to get them?" At my question, Alisa looks to her left hand and extends her fingers. She points to her left index finger with her right index finger.

"First, we need a King Alloy which you can obtain by defeating a Quadriga." She points to her left middle finger with her right index finger and continues pointing to her fingers as she lists of materials. "Then we need a Chimera Wing from a Vajra. Finally," pointing to her ring finger "we need a Wolf Sinew Armour from a Garm." I whistle or attempt to anyway. "Can you manage all of that?"

"Yeah, I'll manage. Are they all at the Tranquil Temple?" If they are, it will be difficult to kill them all by myself in one go. I will need to come up with a very smart plan.

"No, only the Quadriga and Vajra are there at the moment." She informs me, dropping her hands to her hips. "You'll need to go on a hunt for a Garm. When I asked Hibari, she said that there were no Garm signals on the radar."

"I see. Well then, looks like I have a busy day ahead of me." I start walking towards the stairs when I realise I forgot to ask Alisa something.

"Where will you be so I can give you the materials?"

"At the satellite bases. I'll see you there." She gives me a smile and a wave before I decide to continue walking. I suppose I had better make a start on finding those materials.

As I skulk around the Tranquil Temple, I try to formulate a plan. The snow beneath my feet slightly distracts me as it crunches onto the ground; the only noise I can't help but make. I've even slowed my breathing so that I can get a surprise attack on Aragami, but which one do I go after first. I know they're not together. I was able to see that they were at opposite sides of the map when I was atop a high ledge. I shouldn't run into too much trouble when fighting them separately, but it will be very difficult if they attack together. So, which do I go after first? Quadrigas are heavily armoured. The only place that isn't as well armoured, and the exposed parts when quadrigas attack, but it's risky to only attack when the Quadriga attacks. If I destroy the parts that launch missiles, I'll only need to avoid it's charging and stomping attacks, but those parts will require a lot of effort to destroy. On the other hand, if I fight the Vajra first, I'll only need to avoid physical attacks and electrical attacks. It can also leap very high, so in the event that the two Aragami group up, any time I jump up the hit the Quadriga's missile pods, the Vajra can jump up and knock me off course. Whichever one I choose, I'll have to do it quick.

"In that case," I do a complete 180o turn and start sprinting towards my target. "It's the logical choice." I turn a corner and see the backside of the Vajra. "A surprise attack." I whisper as I slowly creep up on the beast, making sure that the crunching of the snow underfoot is the quietest it can possibly be.

"Hya!" I shout as I swing my Arc and it connects with the Vajra's tail; one of the weakest parts of a Vajra. It shouts in pain before quickly spinning around to see who attacked it. I land a hit on its face as it turns before backing off. It roars to try and scare me, but I've fought against stronger enemies than it and am thus unaffected. I land another hit on its face as it roars. I begin to fear that the Quadriga heard its roar, so I need to hurry and defeat this monster. It tries to sweep me off of my feet by swinging an arm at me but it's easy to dodge. I attempt another slash but the Vajra leaps backwards and roars. Instantly, five orbs of electricity begin to form in front of it. The Vajra is taking a risk with this attack as it prepares a while to prepare, and if its target is behind the orbs, it is easy to avoid them. I do exactly that, running behind the monster and getting three powerful swings against its legs. Suddenly, the beast spins around and sends me flying through the air.

"What?!" I shouldn't have been hit that quickly! I should have had more time! It didn't even launch its orbs! I've never seen a Vajra being able to cancel an attack unless it was badly damaged. Even if it was, it would be stunned for a few more seconds! "Ough!" I collide with the wall of the temple. Despite the pain shooting through my back, I force myself to move, lest I risk a direct attack from the Vajra. I was right to move when I did, as not even three seconds later, the Vajra impacts the wall face-first. I take the opportunity to swing at its back legs. I land three solid hits in before I realise,

"Why would it run towards me head first?" I turn around, the Vajra no longer moving as it has been badly stunned; it gives me at least five seconds to breathe. The Quadriga charging towards me doesn't though. With a burst of energy, I sprint out of the Quadriga's charging zone. I only just manage to do so as the Quadriga follows to Vajra's footsteps and plows head first into the Temple.

"That temple must be made out of something indestructible." I comment as it only shakes and does not crumble. Nevertheless, that Vajra must be defeated by now. It couldn't escape the Quadriga's charging attack. The other Aragami though, looks as though it didn't just smash into a building. It's got scratches, but the armour must have did its job in protecting the Quadriga. It retreats from the building's wall and turns. I don't get another chance to breathe as a fire tornado swirls around it as a missile appears from its front armour. The problem with these missiles is that they are heat sensing, so I need to make it blow up before it hits me. The only way to do that is to use the environment to my advantage. Thus, I run around a sharp corner and make the missile hit the wall. The missile is too big to turn in time; thus it explodes upon impact with the wall. I turn the corner again and face my opponent. Surprisingly, another set of missiles is released from the tank Aragami. Thankfully, these missiles aren't heat sensitive. I manage to evade them with ease and change my Arc to its Gun Form, firing a few mortars at its missile pods. As if luck was on my side, they break easily.

"Now I just need to aim for there." I smile to myself before charging towards the beast. I'm glad that the Bias Factor allows for large jumps like this as I can easily hit the monster's missile pods. I get a slash in when something catches my eye. "What?!" I force myself to stop attacking and deploy a shield, right as the Vajra collides with it. It sends me off course and I land hard on my back. "Gah!" The sudden impact of my body against the ground forces me to cough and wheeze. I struggle through the pain and force myself to stand. I was the one supposed to be making surprise attacks! I'm surprised the Vajra is still alive. It mustn't be able to last much longer after my attacks as well as the Quadriga's charge attacks. I'll prioritise that. Unfortunately, the Vajra isn't the first one to approach me. That means only one thing; I run; a tactical retreat. I need to split these two up.

A minute or two of running later, and I don't hear either of the Aragami heading after me. I take a few seconds to breathe before continuing the operation, setting up a paralysis trap before venturing out to find one of the Aragami. If I can bring the Quadriga to the trap, it should buy me a few minutes. If I bring the Vajra to the trap, it should be an easy kill. Whichever way, it's a good plan.

"There you are." I whisper to myself as my eyes land on the form of a Vajra. There seems to be no Quadriga in sight. I switch my Arc to its Gun Form and fire a mortar at the Vajra. Surprisingly, it does more damage than I expected. The Vajra struggles to get to its feet. This being the case, I decide to just finish it off here, and then kill the Quadriga using the trap. With another two mortars, the Vajra falls to the ground. I quickly extract its materials and search for the Quadriga.

With one final slash, the Quadriga's attempts to fight the paralysis stops. I harvest its materials and apply a bit of first aid to myself. I narrowly avoided being trampled by the Quadriga on the way to the paralysis trap; but I injured my left arm quite badly. I had to throw myself against a wall to avoid being crushed. Unfortunately, the force ripped the fabric of my left arm, and the skin of it. I roll my sleeve up to wrap a bandage my arm. Once I've done so, I roll my sleeve back down. You can clearly see the bandage from the exposed area of my clothes, but it's better than seeing blood there. Then again, the white bandage will probably be stained red. Let's hope nobody notices it.

"Cedrick, I'm picking up a Garm signal at the City of Mercy. Go and check it out." Obviously, Hibari and Alisa must have communicated before the mission to inform me of whenever a Garm may show up. How lucky is it that it shows up after defeating both Aragami?

"Heading there now." I don't bother to run to the City of Mercy. It will take at least 15 minutes to walk there, but I can't afford to waste the energy. Even if it leaves the City of Mercy, we can track it down.

When I get to the City of Mercy, I'm surprised to see another God Eater fighting against the Garm. What's even more surprising is who it is. I think about calling out her name but realise that it could distract her. Instead, I decide to join the hunt. The fact that she's here will make this easier for me though. I silently charge at the Garm with my Arc in its Melee Form. I make sure to let the other God Eater see me so they don't get startled by my sudden attack on the Aragami. It's just like her to see me and not question me for being here, yet anyway, as I bring my Arc down onto the back of the Aragami. I quickly switch my Arc to its Gun Form and unleash a barrage of mortars, making sure to leap off of its back so that I don't get damaged by the recoil or the explosions. It falls to the ground.

"Finish it!" I shout to her and catch a glimpse of her Arc devouring the Aragami's core. I was expecting her to attack it, but I suppose devouring its core will damage it badly as well. I land on my feet and quickly extract the material that I need from the corpse.

"What are you doing here?" Ciel asks me as she runs to my side. The surprise in her voice is enough to tell me how she feels about seeing me here.

"I'm doing a favour for Alisa; collecting materials." I gesture towards the Garm's corpse, "Thankfully, I managed to get the last part just now."

"Oh? This early in the morning?" She's right. It's still early. Probably not even an hour has passed by since Alisa woke me up at what feels like the crack of dawn.

"Yeah, Alisa made sure I helped her by waking me up at dawn." I voice what I was thinking just moments earlier.

"How did she get into your room?" My eyes widen in realisation. "Didn't you lock it?"

"I must have forgot." I sheepishly rub the back of my head, but this only raises Ciel's suspicion.

"You forgot? Or did you want someone to wake you up?" Ciel tries to adopt an angry face, but I can hear the humour in her voice.

"Why? Do you want to wake me up on a morning?" I give her a suggestive wink and gage her reaction. I think I see her cheeks go slightly red. It's a disappointing reaction but at least it's something. "So, why are you here?" I quickly change the subject.

"Me?" No, Ciel. The person behind you… "I need some materials to make a bigger cage for Capy." Ah, yes. Ciel loves that little rodent, doesn't she? A bigger cage for it though? I'm pretty sure it was still pretty small when I saw it a few weeks ago.

"It needs a bigger cage?" As soon as I ask, I see a smile appear on Ciel's face.

"Yes, it's almost bigger than the one it has right now. We'll need to make a new one."

"Have you got all the materials you need?" I ask her to forward the conversation despite the fact that I'm not as interested in the capybara as Ciel is. Still, I wouldn't miss the opportunity to pet it. I can do that before giving these materials to Alisa. So, with a nod of Ciel's head, we decide to head back to the Den together.

"She was so shy when I first found her, but it looks like she warmed up to you really quick." I hear Ciel comment on the fact that the Capybara isn't biting me while I stroke it. She was right. This thing will need a bigger cage. It looks like it couldn't even turn around in this one if it wanted to. "She used to bite me every day, but I wouldn't stop caring for her… I'm glad I didn't." I see how Ciel can get so attached to something like this now. It's a form of escapism. You don't have to worry about the world if you can focus your mind on petting an animal, but maybe it works too well.

"She is so cute. That aside, I do have some bullet analysis results for you. Just like normal bullets, mutant modules are restricted to a certain type of gun. Based on that I'd like to start a comparative study of close-combat results and… Captain? Are you listening?"

"That's right!" I jump in realisation. I can't relax until I've given these materials to Alisa. "I'll be right back, Ciel. Then you can tell me about whatever it is you were talking about." I run out of the room, ignoring Ciel's chuckles, and head for the satellite bases. Alisa said I should be able to find her there…

"That's the last of them. Well done, Captain." As soon as I've handed the materials over to her, I collapse to the ground. I had sprinted all the way here and I don't know why. In knew Alisa said she'd be here and I doubt she'll be leaving any time soon, so maybe it was because I… No, I don't know. Oh well, that was a careless mistake. It's a good job it happened after a mission. "I've got to hurry back to base." I stare at her in disbelief. Couldn't she have just met me there then?!

"More work?" I comment as I climb to my feet. If Alisa's going back to the base, I might as well accompany her.

"It's not for work… It's just… my room." She hesitates. Her broadness on the topic confuses me.

"Did something happen?" Concern fills my voice and I'm sure she can hear it.

"No, no. It's nothing like that." She quickly dismisses my worries. "You see, Mutsumi stopped by and saw what a mess it was." I feel the corners of my mouth begin to twitch upward. "She started joking around about how I must live twice as hard to make twice as much mess. So I wanted to tidy up a bit… Although… Ugh! I hate cleaning." She speaks in a less than happy manner. I suppose that's why she didn't comment on the situation from earlier this morning; my clothes being on the floor beside my bed. Her room must be in a similar condition and she doesn't want to be seen as a hypocrite. It makes me think though, I'd like to have a look at her room. I've only seen my unit's quarters. I wonder how they vary from hers. That and I want to see just how messy her room is, and I want to see if she really does have clothes on her bedroom floor, not that there's anything in particular I want to see. I force myself to supress my grin. It would be very weird of me to offer to help clean her room, especially since we're of different genders, but… I just… can't… help it!

"Do you need a hand?" I offer my services, already preparing my side of the argument so that I can help her. After all, she came into my room unannounced. At least now, I'm announcing to her that I'm going into her room. Alisa looks at me suspiciously. I really fight the urge to smile. A few seconds later, she sighs…


	87. Chapter 87 - Alisa Final Character Ep

Chapter 87

DISCLAIMER: I DO NOT OWN THE GOD EATER FRANCHISE HOWEVER I DO OWN MY OC.

Also, please leave a review!

Name: Cedrick Esparza  
Gender: Male  
Hairstyle: Style 7 (Dark Brown)  
God Arc: Freezing Maiden II (Short Blade), F-BF Shot (Blast Gun), Kurogane Tower A (Shield)  
Blood Art: Raider Stab III

Holy shit! Did Alisa really just accept my offer to help her clean her room? This is abnormal! Is she not embarrassed by having a man in her room? Well, I'm not complaining. I'm just surprised that I didn't need to reason with her. I wonder what type of underwear is on her floor. Black lace underwear would be pretty kinky but I don't think she's the type to wear that sort of thing. Judging from her Cradle uniform, she doesn't even wear a bra! I've always thought that was sexy; being able to see a bit of underboob has always interested me. Even on the few missions we've been on, she doesn't seem to care that her jacket flails around in the wind. Unfortunately though, the jacket never falls off of her; the jacket never reveals more than just the underboobs. She must have her jacket attached to something else for this to happen. Maybe she wears a bra that is too small to cover her entire breasts and this bra is attached to her jacket. Thus, the jacket will only come off when her bra does.

"I suppose it would be quicker with you around. Then we can continue with the satellite bases. Come on then." She turns on her heels and we head towards the Den. Every step fills me with more and more excitement. What type of knickers does Alisa wear? What colour underwear does she wear? What underwear does she have on? No! I've got to calm myself. If I let myself get worked up, something bad might happen. Although I'm sure Alisa wouldn't let that happen, I need to make sure that there is no possibility of it happening. But it would be nice if she gave me a glimpse. Even more of a glimpse than what I'm used to. I do like underboobs but I want more. I've been almost desensitised to them considering that a member in my own unit has very revealing clothes. Much more so than Alisa. Maybe that's why I don't feel anything like this towards Nana. That might be why it seems more thrilling for me if a woman is mostly covered. Alisa is an exception though. Who wouldn't want to imagine her naked.

"No funny business, alright?" She reprimands before I even get the chance to enter her room. I've only just noticed that we're actually standing right outside of her room. Wow, it felt like a long time to run to the satellite bases, and yet when my mind is focused on Alisa's underwear, it felt like no time had passed at all. Was I quiet this whole time? Did Alisa try to start a conversation with me? Does she think I've been thinking about what her room will be like? Well, she wouldn't be wrong but I'm not going to do anything!

"Of course." I chuckle to hide my anxiousness at being found out. "I wouldn't think of it." Maybe my second utterance was unneeded. Alisa opens the door to her room. I expect a sea of colour to wash from it; numerous coloured clothes scattered around the floor. Numerous amounts of underwear scattered on the floor, on the bed, everywhere. But no. Nothing like that. There's only a ton of paper on the floor. Before Alisa opened the door, my heart was beating erratically. Now though, my heart's beat has slowed to a pace even slower than my regular heartbeat. Am I disappointed?

"Yeah, I would say sorry about the mess, but you offered to help clean it up."

"I have a feeling I'm going to be of no help whatsoever." I mumble and slump my shoulders.

"What do you mean?" Alisa looks back at me with surprise on her features.

"These papers will all be about projects or something like that, right?" I wait for Alisa to nod before I continue, "I don't know the order of these pages and I don't know if there are more than one projects mixed in with all these papers.

"I'm not that careless, you know." Alisa twirls a lock of hair in her fingers as she quickly replies. "The documents have page numbers in the footers and the project name in their headers."

"Of course you have. I should have known." Maybe I overemphasised it, but I'm not very happy about having to sort through paper work. "I guess we should make a start then."

I walk into her room and let her close the door behind us. I walk to the middle of the room, taking care not to crumple any of the papers underfoot. I collect the papers from the middle, scooping them up before trying to make the edges neat. Once one handful has become neat, I pick up another handful. Alisa sorts the papers out in her own way; opting to take a handful and sort them into separate piles for each project.

Many handfuls of paper later, we manage to clear the floor. So now, I begin sorting all of the papers into projects.

"How did your room even get like this?" If it was clothes scattered around the floor, I'd understand, but to have numerous reports scattered about the floor is insane.

"Don't worry about it." She abruptly speaks up from her position on the couch, sorting through her own piles of paper only she needs to sort them out via page number. Since she started sorting them before collecting them all, hers are already separated by documents. It also means she has a lot less of the documents than me. I take a seat on the floor beside her bed, leaning against it and then start organising the documents.

After half an hour, I've just managed to sort through the last of the documents. Instead of handing it straight to Alisa like I did for the rest, I place it to my side. Due to my exhaustion though, I end up haphazardly scattering them under the bed. I groan once I realised what I've done but I can't be bothered to lie down on the floor and look for them, so I just scoop my hand under the bed and drag the papers out. I grab a few papers and place them beside me. In my second grab, I obtain another few papers. In my third grab, however, I pull out something that isn't paper. This something is material! I feel around a bit more as I attempt to find out what it is. I instantly know it isn't a bra as there are no cups to hold Alisa's boobs. I'd be surprised if Alisa even has any. It has three holes and it isn't long enough to be a shirt.

"What are you doing?" Alisa stares at me, the look in her eyes reminds me of Director Grem. It's probably better if I don't tell her the truth.

"Some of the pages fell under the bed." I keep moving my hand around, forcibly removing my grip on what I can assume to be Alisa's underwear. At least I know for sure that she wears knickers and not something slutty like a thong. My image of Alisa has improved. Regardless, I can think of that later, right now I quickly sort the document through page numbers. It seems like I'll never know exactly what I touched but it's the thought that counts.

"Here you go. The last of the lot." I hand over the remaining pages and Alisa takes them with a salutation. I sit back down against the bed and breathe a sigh of relief.

"Alisa!" Somebody shouts from outside of the room before almost breaking the door to her room down. The person's eyes rest on me for a few seconds before settling on Alisa. I think his name was Kunio. "A few people have said that they have seen a psion at the Valley of Ice." I jump up from my spot. "It's lucky you have the Blood Captain with you." He smiles. At his words Alisa turns to me, "Can you help me with it?" I already know what she means, and a simple nod of the head gives her the answer she's looking for. We rush out of her room, she makes sure to lock it first, and we head off for the Valley of Ice.

It's been a long time since I last came here. If I remember correctly, it was this area where Ciel could have been our first casualty. I smile at the thought of me coming to rescue her; I was not going to let somebody die like that. I couldn't do anything for the deaths of Romeo and Julius. They were infected by the Red Rain before I had a chance to help them.

"Something about this mission feels… off." Alisa comments as we stand atop of the ledge, unable to see the psion. "If a psion had made this their hunting grounds, there'd be a sign of it. At least a Bias Field pulse signature or something!" She's right. Usually, a psion would be detected by the radar at the operator's desk, then my unit would be told to move out and destroy it. It wasn't anything like that this time. "All we have are reports of sightings…"

"Let's investigate." I give her a simple response. If our suspicions are correct, then there are no psions nearby. Which means that Kunio lied to us.

"Thanks… It… It really is comforting to have you here." Alisa says boldly which surprises me. My chest suddenly feels warmer. I've noticed that this happens a lot when I'm complimented. I didn't know exactly what this feeling was before, but now I know that it's happiness. After all, when I was back in Fenrir HQ, I never had any friends. I had no reason to receive compliments either. So maybe I was so unused to receiving them, I get really happy when I do receive them. I smile. "All right! Let's clear out the Aragami nearby and then check in back at the Satellite base. Maybe we can pick up the psion's trail there. Forward!" We jump from the ledge and run towards the small fry. They're the closest ones and they would be troublesome if they were to group up with the larger Aragami a fair distance away from us. It's just a couple of Fallen Ogretails and Zygotes, so we take them out easily. It's the larger Aragami that will give us a run for their money.

"What are the weak points of a Demiurge again?" I ask as we run towards to remaining Aragami.

"Its head and its exposed legs." Alisa reminds me, shooting the monster from distance to alert it to our presence.

"Ah, yeah. I remember." I leap to the side as the monster places one of its legs in front of it, and then leaps forward in an attempt to squash us with its body weight. As soon as it passes, I charge to it and deliver a few swift slashes to its face. Surprisingly, it does more damage than I thought as a large mark appears where I repeatedly slashed it.

"You've broken its face bond." Alisa informs me. "Keep aiming there and we'll kill it in no time." I comply with her plan. Sure enough, we kill it in less than two minutes.

Alisa and I walk through the entrance to the Satellite base and surprisingly see Kunio and three other people standing a short walk from us. We walk over to them all as soon as they notice us. After all, we still need to speak with Kunio about these psion sightings.

"Corporal Alisa! We've been waiting for you." One of the children speak up in a happy voice. Alisa must have a good standing to be on the receiving end of such emotions.

"I got your call. Is everything okay?" I look at Alisa weirdly. Is this who that call was from? The call that you received as soon as we killed the Demiurge?

"A bunch of people said they saw a scary psion around. So, can you maybe stay the night here?" A different child speaks up. A psion? Again? We didn't find any sign of a psion…

"A psion? I knew they wouldn't give up that easily. Where was it seen?" Alisa takes a business-lie tone, moving her head from side to side. I have a feeling that she doesn't suspect these people of making stuff up. I do but I have no idea why they would make that stuff up. It's causing an unnecessary panic from Alisa, although she may not show it. I can't call them out on their lie without evidence either. It's true that there was no evidence of a psion being around but that was only in one place. We haven't searched all of the other places.

"Trust me, it's out there. And still just as dangerous as before. You two should stay." Kunio joins them.

"I'm not staying." I realise instantly that my reply was probably a bit too quick. Crap! I'm going to have to back it up now. "If a psion is nearby, it's my unit's job to defeat them." Why don't I want to stay? Why should I? I don't know these people. I'd much rather be with my own unit but then Alisa won't be able to handle a psion by herself. Kunio knows that which is why he extended the offer to me.

"Yosuke, they can stay with you, right?" Kunio irritatingly ignores my outburst.

"For sure! Everything's ready too." The child now known as Yosuke responds all too suspiciously.

"What?! N-No, that's out of the question. If there's a psion roaming the area, it's our duty to slay it." Alisa quickly dismisses their hopes of making us stay for the night.

"I agree with Alisa." I inwardly smile. "It's dangerous to let an Aragami like that roam free."

"Ugh! Fine, we'll come clean." The only woman in the group of four, barring Alisa, speaks up. My eyes widen at her words. So, they were lying? "We found out that tomorrow's your birthday. We can't celebrate it without the birthday girl!" She woman easily confesses to Alisa. I didn't know it was her birthday tomorrow but that would explain why they want her to stay the night. It also confirms that they were lying about a psion so I have no reason to stay here.

"Wh… What?" Alisa recoils slightly in surprise. Her voice goes a higher pitch than usual as she expresses.

"So, your new mission, Miss Alisa, is to keep watch for an invisible psion until tomorrow!" The kid whose name I do not know speaks up.

"You're always busy running around trying to help us. It's not easy to pin you down." Yosuke chips in.

"I… I'm speechless." She informs them before smiling, her eyelids almost seem to close as she does so. Wait, is she about to cry? "L-let me think this over." She starts walking back outside of the satellite base. I quickly run up to follow her. She must have expected me to do so as, as soon as we are out of the satellite base, we lean against the wall.

"A celebration?" She begins to discuss. "That… I… How am I supposed to face them tomorrow?" Her face no longer has that smile. She seems genuinely worried about what will happen. "I'll probably be in tears. I won't be able to get through a sentence without choking up."

"So you've already decided then?" I smile, not even bothering to look at her. "You've already decided to stay the night?" She's thinking about how she will face them tomorrow. She must not even know that she doesn't need to stay the night, but I guess that's how Alisa is. It would suit her well to have a break. She definitely deserves one. We can't have her falling asleep on a mission again. Alisa remains silent which gives me my answer. "Just face them with professionalism." I would have offered to be her translator while she happily cries but I don't want to stay the night. I'd feel more comfortable if I was with my own unit. Plus, I wouldn't want any rumours to spread about us while we're sleeping out together.

"Yeah?" She looks at me with a smile, her voice full of hope. I guess she didn't think about this option. She does seem like the type to be able to do things professionally, it will also give her an opportunity to avoid embarrassing herself by crying. "Yeah. Okay, that I can do." She makes up her mind, all ready with a plan in mind. "I've spent so long trying to earn trust, trying to build a sort of life for everyone here, and they use that life to do something for me?" The gratitude just spills out as she speaks. "I guess… That's how you make dreams into reality… Isn't it? You meet people, make friend, form bonds… You're always very kind." She suddenly turns the conversation to me and I meet her caring gaze with a surprised one. "I do hope that one day I might be able to repay that kindness." I smile at her words.

"Just keep being a friend and you already will have." In my head, I have a vision about how cool it would be to start walking away now while she watches me walk, and that's exactly what I do now.

"Cedrick?" Clearly, Alisa didn't get the memo. I grumble inwardly as she ruins my perfect salutation for the day. I turn my head towards her. "When is your birthday?" She asks shyly, and I know exactly what she's trying to do. The trouble for her, and the saving grace for me is,

"Not for a long while." I quickly dismiss any plan she may have for my birthday. I haven't even told my unit when my birthday is. Actually, I don't know when theirs are either. I should ask them about that or check the NORN database. Yeah, it's probably in the database. "If I don't see you tomorrow, then I hope you have a happy birthday!"

"Thank you, Cedrick." I hear her speak before heading back into the satellite base. I continue walking back to the Den.


	88. Chapter 88 - Lindow and the Kyuubi

Chapter 88

DISCLAIMER: I DO NOT OWN THE GOD EATER FRANCHISE HOWEVER I DO OWN MY OC.

Also, please leave a review!

Name: Cedrick Esparza  
Gender: Male  
Hairstyle: Style 7 (Dark Brown)  
God Arc: Freezing Maiden II (Short Blade), F-BF Shot (Blast Gun), Kurogane Tower A (Shield)  
Blood Art: Raider Stab III

"Ah, they're here. Yes! Come on in!" We hear Sakaki's voice from the other side of the door. For some reason, Kota and I were called into his office. I have no idea what it is about. Sakaki sounds pretty happy; so, we're not in trouble, right?

"Hey, hey, Director. I got your summons" Kota begins as we walk through the door, I make sure to close it behind us. "so what did you- WHA?!" I quickly turn to Kota to see what he is so surprised about. As I do so, I notice another man in the office. He wears a white jacket similar to the one that Kota and Alisa wear, and has a golden gauntlet on his arm. My sight locks onto it and doesn't move away from it. For some reason, this man has shaped the gauntlet to be in the shape of a claw. Does he think it looks cool? Is this some form of chunibyo? I'm not surprised that Kota is surprised at that. Then again, they wear the same jacket, do they know each other? "L-Lindow?!" Kota's exclamation of the man's name answers my question for me. They do know each other. I think it's safe to assume that.

"The one and only." Lindow dismisses Kota's surprise with a simple comment. "I can't believe they're still letting you run a squad, Captain." His words cause an eyebrow to raise on my features. Is there some beef between these two? Or is he just joking? It's probably the latter. I doubt that they'd have that reaction to each other if they were enemies. The man raises his gauntlet and thumps Kota on the chest as he speaks. Kota stumbles a few step backwards and it might have been more if I didn't stretch my arm to stop him.

"Ow! Dude… that totally hurt! I'm doing a good job as captain! Right?" He turns towards me and I don't answer. I don't really know if he is doing a good job or not. All his unit members do, Emil and Erina, is argue with each other. They only stop when I'm there. As Kota turns towards me, so too does Lindow.

"Lemme guess, you're the Captain of Blood." For some reason, I don't think that was a guess. If Sakaki called us up here to meet Lindow then this guy would have heard my position in my unit. "The old man told me all about you. Gotta say, you've done some good work for the Branch." He compliments me but for some reason, I don't feel anything when he does so. Is it because I don't know him? Kota merely smiles at me as speaks.

"Yeah, Captain Cedrick Esparza of Blood Special Forces." I give him a formal greeting, telling him my full name, rank and unit although he probably already knew it.

"Nice to meetcha, I'm Lindow." He points to himself as he introduces himself, "Sorry, let me do it properly. Like you did. Lindow Amamiya of that Far East's Independent Cradle Unit. That's a mouthful, huh?" My suspicions are confirmed, he is part of the Cradle unit that Alisa and Soma are a part of. He extends an arm out to me to shake my hand. I extend my right arm out and only just manage to catch myself from making an awkward mistake. The man extended his left arm out to me, and I had extended my right arm. I quickly switch to my left arm and give a firm handshake.

"So, you two haven't met." Sakaki speaks up, I had forgotten he was even here. I don't know how, we are in his office. "Once, long ago, Lindow was the leader of the 1st Unit. He was captain before the captain before Kota." Okay, that was a little confusing. So, he's the ex-ex-captain? "Now, he travels with Cradle. Oh! They're dedicated to researching and eradicating the most dangerous Aragami and help out where they can." He explains before changing stance, placing his hands on the table rather than under his head. "Anyways, to the point, I suppose. Lindow, perhaps you might care to bring the new kids up to speed on your latest objective. Hm?"

"Cradle's been tracking a new Aragami species called a 'Kyuubi'. I'd like you to help." That's an eyebrow raiser. I wonder why he'd need my help. "With both our teams on it, we can take it down. This thing is a pure-blood Aragami so it's definitely… I mean it's… uh" Lost for words, Lindow? Have you forgotten your explanation? It does seem as though he has rehearsed his lines a few times, maybe he's forgotten them. "Hey, old man?" He turns his attention back to Sakaki.

"Hm? Yes?" Is it just me, or can I detect some humour in Sakaki's voice?

"Maybe we should have Soma give the briefings. He's all about science, right? And I'm not so hot with the _technical_ stuff." He proposes his idea to Sakaki. I've got to admit, that's a smart way of avoiding responsibility.

"Haha!" I thought I heard some humour in Sakaki's voice. "Oh, Lindow! I'm glad to see you haven't changed in the slightest. We should call a general assembly first. I'll have the teams called up and the briefings organised posthaste. In the meantime, wander the base! See your old chums!" I guess Lindow actually passed the responsibility onto someone else. I don't know whether to admire him for that or fault him.

"Understood. Thanks, Director." He assumes a soldier like stance as he speaks to Sakaki before his attention turns back to me. "Looks like we got some downtime. I got a few people to see, so let's meet up later." Lindow extends his golden gauntlet and scrunches his claws into a fist. Kota and I know about salutations like this so we give him a fist bump before Lindow leaves. We leave as well.

"So, what's Lindow like?" I ask Kota as we walk down the corridor leading away from the Director's office.

"Haha." He chuckles slightly, probably remembering memories with Lindow. "You've probably guessed that he likes to joke, but don't let that fool you. He's a really strong God Eater. A few years ago, when I was still a rookie, he defeated an Ouroboros by himself!" An Ouroboros? That's the largest Aragami isn't it? The one that's said to be mountainous? Wow!

"How did he do that?!" I utter in surprise and amazement. If he was able to defeat an Aragami like that three years ago, he should be a lot stronger now, right? I'd love to see him in action!

"I have no idea how he did it either. We just know he did. Everyone that was in the Den heard about it and was like ' _WOW'_ or _'He's so strong!_ ' Oh, and he really cares for his friends. I remember one time," Kota's happy face quickly takes a turn for the worse; his smile disappearing.

"This one time…?" I continue, wanting to hear about Lindow.

"It doesn't matter." He quickly replaces his frown with a smile although it's easy to tell that it looks forced. "Well, I'll see you in the lounge in a few hours." He waves to me as he walks to the stairs. I guess he has something that he needs to do but I can't help but wonder what this memory of his is.

In the lounge, Lindow and Soma have set everything up. My unit as well as Kota sit on the seats provided. Well, almost all of us do, Ciel chooses to stand. I offer her my seat but she gives me a little smile and a shake of her hand.

"Cradle?" Now that we're comfortable, Lindow starts playing the video they set up. "This is Fox reporting. Subject found. Requesting additional aerial surveillance." A feminine voice speaks up.

"This is Sword reporting." A male voice joins in. "I've got my eyes on it."

"Luca reporting. I can confirm. That thing's huge!" As the newcomer speaks up, the Aragami that I assume to be the Kyuubi begins to roll around on the floor.

"What's it doin? It's like a giant deadly puppy." Sword reports exactly what I was thinking.

"I'm tracking a nearby Aragami. Sword, hold position." Fox commands as the Kyuubi continues acting like a puppy while outside of the Tranquil Temple. It uses its tails as a blanket of sorts; curling them over its body and probably prepared to rest. Do Aragami even rest?

"Roger that, holding." Sword replies before a short silence ensues. It is quickly ruined however as Sword exclaims, "Woah!" This is due to an influx on the number of Kongou seemingly surrounding the Kyuubi. "How'd we miss them?! Where'd they even come from?"

"Multiple Kongou Aragami converging. Aerial unit, withdraw immediately." Fox commands stoically.

"No way! I'm not just gonna go running back! I'm pretty sure none of them have noticed me yet." One of the men replies while the Kyuubi gets back to its feet, having noticed the multiple Kongou surrounding it.

"Hey, watch out!" The beast roars.

"Damn thing almost gave me a heart attack."

"Aerial unit, you're being surrounded. Withdraw!" There is more panic and worry Fox's voice now.

"Just a little longer." One of the men reply again. The Kyuubi jumps into the air. "Who knows when we'll get another sighting like this!" The Kyuubi lands on top of a large building before roaring again.

"Oracle detected! Get out of there!" Fox commands again with a calm voice that borders on the edge of a worrying voice.

"It's attacking!" One of the men shouts as numerous lasers rain down on the Aragami and assumedly the people. It reminds me of a Sariel's attack only with a lot more lasers.

"Returning fire!" The other man shouts.

"Dammit! Listen, withdraw to the rally point!" Fox commands again, still with a calm voice that borders on worrying.

"Nooooo!" One of the men scream in pain.

"That Oracle shout—Aaargh!" The other man cries out before the news feed cuts to black, signalling the end of the video. I doubt the two men got out alive. Suddenly, a black and white still image of the Kyuubi before its attack appears on the screen.

"This video" Lindow begins, "of the Kyuubi was recovered from the Research Unit. Along with it, we have the results of Cradle's investigation. The Kyuubi we've been hunting makes its home in an isolated area well beyond the Far East's borders. It's the strongest predator there." Lindow explains professionally. I guess there is a time where he can be professional and take responsibility. "Kyuubi are few in number. Since they're so rare, we actually haven't actually had an encounter since we discovered them. Then, last month, Cradle received a ton of first hand reports of the beast. We decided we couldn't afford to wait and mobilised ASAP. Exterminating the Kyuubi is vitally important to humanity's future." Wait, really? How? "As for the details…" Lindow turns towards Soma. "Dr. Soma, why don't you go ahead and brief us on the Kyuubi."

"Yeah, don't call me Doctor. It still feels weird." He responds almost instantly, I can't help but smile at that. "Anyways, the Kyuubi is what we call 'pure-blooded'. That means its entire body, top to tail, is composed of pure, powerful Oracle Cells. As a result of eating other Aragami, more common breeds often contain a blend of such Cells. But this Kyuubi is unquestionably unique." Soma explains.

"Doctor Soma!..." Kota raises his hand and voice, "I don't get it." I can't help but smile at that too as well as Soma's response to his inability to understand. With a hand to his head, Soma dumbs down his explanation,

"Allow me to simplify for you Kota. Kyuubi Oracle Cells are reeeeally special for some reason."

"Well put, Doctor…" Lindow trails off at Soma's stare. "Soma. Why don't you share your vision with them for the Kyuubi Core? Give the kids an idea of what they're fighting for." Soma doesn't continue his explanation so Lindow does so instead. "So, all right everyone, imagine this. A wall, taller than the ones we got, that automatically targets and drives back and Aragami that enters its range. Cool idea, right?"

"Yeah! That'd be so awesome!" Nana responds enthusiastically. It feels like it has been ages since I've heard her speak. It's probably because I haven't been spending much time with my own unit.

"Or what about portable shelters from the red rain? People could just pop it up and sit safe inside, maybe with a nice ration pack." Lindow continues.

"Would something of that complexity really be possible?" Ciel takes an interest in the conversation.

"Not yet," Soma answers. "but with this mission, we'd have a hell of a head start. Research indicates a Kyuubi's core can act like a computer processor. Thus, with its power we could command complex exchanges, each executed and stored individually, all without the need for Bias Factors."

"Yeeeah, thanks." Lindow cuts in with a nervous laugh. "It's going to get all complicated again, so let's call it, shall we? If you really want to know more, you can go see Dr. Soma directly… Soma, sorry." He corrects himself. "Anyway, team, I hope you all understand just how important the Kyuubi are to the future of the Far East. It's up to us, so good hunting my friends. Remember to stay sharp out there, you hear me? Let's bring back a peaceful world, yeah? Where everyone can sleep safe and sound. All right, dismissed." With Lindow's words, the presentation is over.


	89. Chapter 89 - Will you join Cradle?

Chapter 89

DISCLAIMER: I DO NOT OWN THE GOD EATER FRANCHISE HOWEVER I DO OWN MY OC.

Also, please leave a review!

Name: Cedrick Esparza  
Gender: Male  
Hairstyle: Style 7 (Dark Brown)  
God Arc: Freezing Maiden II (Short Blade), F-BF Shot (Blast Gun), Kurogane Tower A (Shield)  
Blood Art: Raider Stab III

"Do you have a plan of action against the Kyuubi?" Ah, Ciel, I can always trust you to come up with relevant questions. No sooner had the presentation finished that Ciel decided to ask if we were prepared for the Aragami.

"Well, uh…" Lindow nervously scratches his head with his gauntlet. He turns towards Soma. "Do we?" Soma merely scoffs at his words before focusing his attention on Ciel.

"You're the tactical one in Blood?" It sounded more of a statement than a question, but he asks regardless.

"Yeah, she is. Always the one to come up with the plan, aren't ya, Ciel?" Gilbert gives her a relaxed and yet playful smile. The girl they're speaking about gives a courteous nod of her head and no explanation. Soma smiles at this interaction.

"I figured as much. When the Captain, Nana and I were on a mission, he did seem to be pretty reckless." He smirks at me and I don't know whether to feel offended or be proud that my actions have gotten me where I am today.

"You've already been on a mission with them?" Lindow gives Soma a surprised look before it deflates and he groans, "That's not fair. I should have come back sooner!" He suddenly regains his enthusiasm.

"Really?" Ciel seems genuinely shocked, holding a hand to her chest while ignoring Lindow's outburst. "He always follows my plan." I can't help but feel as though she's defending me.

"Don't misunderstand me," Soma begins with a chuckle, "There is some sort of plan in his actions. I don't know what it is though. Maybe you just plan to be reckless." He smirks at me again.

"On the missions that we've been on, I'd say that Cedrick is pretty tactical." Gilbert chips in and offers his own opinion on my fighting style.

"Hehe," I look to Nana after her little laugh, "I guess Cedrick changes his style depending on who is on his team." At Nana's words, I feel my eyes widen. "He's very careless when he's with me." She announces before playfully jabbing me in the ribs, "Remember when you almost died against the Borg Camlann a while ago." I remember all too clearly the mission that Nana is talking about. It was after Romeo had died and Nana was feeling depressed. I decided to bring her out on a mission to try and get her to get over her depression. It did work but it almost cost me my life. I shiver at the thought.

"He can be pretty reckless." Kota reminds us of his presence.

"HAHAHA! You're one to talk, Kota!" Lindow comes to my aid this time. I almost forgot that Lindow was once the captain of Kota's unit so he has a lot of first-hand experience of his battle style.

"That's a pretty interesting observation." Soma says with a hand to his chin, a smile still on his face. "So, Cedrick," I turn my attention back to Soma at the mentioning of my name, "what fighting style are you going to use against the Kyuubi?" I hadn't thought about that. Then again, it has only been a few minutes since the presentation where I've got my first look at the Aragami. It looks like it's a Garm variant so maybe the same techniques would work against it. However, something about his question is bugging me; something about this whole conversation is bugging me. They're questioning my battle style, and yet I don't even know what it is. Like they've said, it changes depending on who I'm with. If I'm with my unit, it seems to be more of a tactical style. Individually though, I guess I only use guerrilla warfare when I'm with Nana. Ciel's a tactical person, thus I always stick to her plan. She's been trained in that sort of stuff so I don't even bother to question it. With Gilbert though, I remember when I did go "gung-ho" as he called it and got reprimanded. When I'm with anyone else, I'm pretty reckless. Why is that though?

"Why does this matter anyway?" I speak up for the first time in a while; I haven't spoken since this conversation about me started.

"Oh, right." Soma blinks repeatedly as he tries to remember something. "We were talking about teams." He coughs, and we get back on track.

"Well, Soma, Alisa and I will definitely be taking on the Kyuubi; and we'll need Cedrick's blood power to ensure an easier win against the Aragami." Lindow explains.

"So, while the Captain and Cradle fight against the Kyuubi, what will the rest of us be doing?" Ciel asks thoughtfully and I think I heard a bit of worry in her voice too.

"Since the Kyuubi is pure-blooded, we think that other Aragami will be trying to kill and eat it too." It's not uncommon for Aragami to eat other Aragami so nobody thinks about questioning Soma. "So the job of the rest of Blood, the 1st Unit and the 4th Unit will be to take care of any Aragami that might interfere."

"I see." Ciel hums.

"Is that all of the questions?" Lindow asks, his hands on his hips. "Okay, good. We could be dispatched at any minute. Make sure you're ready for when we are." At Lindow's words, he, Soma and Kota leave the lounge. I feel a soft hand on my shoulder and look to the owner.

"Good luck, Captain." Ciel gives me a kind smile before leaving the lounge.

"Show them what Blood can do!" Gilbert gives me a pat on the shoulder before he leaves.

"Don't worry, we'll stop all the Aragami, so you just focus on fighting, 'kay?" Nana pats my leg before she leaves the lounge too.

A mere three hours later, Hibari informs me of the Kyuubi's whereabouts.

"The research unit has sent us the Kyuubi's location. Good luck on your hunt for the Kyuubi!" Hibari wishes me the best of luck as we prepare for what will be a very tough mission.

"The others already know, yeah?" I decide to ask. It would be useless if I'm the only one that tries to kill all of the Aragami. I'd never be able to defeat all of them. Not even an experienced God Eater like Lindow could do that.

"I've already sent them emails and I know that I saw some people heading towards the roof. Does that answer your question?" Hibari gives me a smile as she answers. Her way of answering my question was a bit strange but I brush it off.

"Yeah, thanks, Hibari." I set off towards the lift. I've already prepared my Arc as well as restore pills. All that's left to do is fight the Kyuubi. That's my team's job this time around. I can put all of my trust in my Blood Unit to defend us while we fight the Kyuubi. It will be my first time working with Lindow, and it will be my first time working with Alisa and Soma at the same time. What will my battle style be?

"Soma, Alisa… it's been a long time since we all fought together, hasn't it?" Lindow reminisces as we look at the Kyuubi from the safety of a broken wall. The Kyuubi had been tracked to the Abandoned City, the same area where I battled the Marduk. It seems to be that this place is something of a special home to some Aragami. They always seem to wander into this area. Most of them leave, but some like the Marduk come back to it. "It feels damn good to be back at it. I miss this." Lindow continues as we stare at the Kyuubi. It's actually quite a beautiful Aragami. It's beautifully coloured tails of which it has three, as well as how gracefully it moves. However, the fact that it is an Aragami means that I can't let my guard down. Right now, the rest of my unit as well as the 1st and 4th units will be fighting Aragami in the surrounding areas, thus it wouldn't be very good if we fail to defeat this monster. Even if it is a beautiful one.

"Lindow, are you feeling all right?" Alisa enquires with a bit of humour in her voice.

"Yeah, of course." He responds quickly. "It just feels like we've grown. I mean, look at you." He turns to Alisa and Soma. "Ah… my young trainees have come so far. Brings tears to my eyes." He continues reminiscing, meanwhile I can't help but feel awkward due to being left out of the loop. These guys have history with each other. I don't. Nevertheless, I try not to show how awkward I actually feel at the moment. "It's good to have you onboard too, Captain. I hope you're ready to keep up with us." Whether I did or didn't show my awkwardness, Lindow speaks to me regardless.

"You're the one that will have to keep up, Lindow. Alisa and Soma have experience working with me and are on their way to developing their own blood arts." I say with a sly, challenging smile.

"Really?"

"He's got you there, Lindow." Soma chips in, a smile on his face. I guess Soma can feel that he's developing a Blood Art. That's good news. I had actually only spoken up so that I didn't seem awkward by not saying anything. I didn't actually know they were developing their own Blood Arts. They've never told me about any progress that they've made.

"Oh man." Lindow puts on a sad face. It's easy to tell by the humour in his voice that he feels the exact opposite. "I guess you'll just have to teach me about whatever a Blood Art is later then." I just smile and nod in response. "Well then, the Aragami ain't gonna wait forever, shall we?" Lindow takes a bracing stance as our attention is brought back to the Kyuubi. The rest of us assume our battle positions as well. "It's time. Let's go!" We run from our hiding spot and the Kyuubi instantly hears us, turning around and roaring at us. It's not happy that we're here but we have to kill it. It's a threat to mankind but its core can be our saviour.

The Kyuubi runs towards us in a graceful manner. It's almost as though it is a dolphin in the water as its back fluctuates between upward and downward motions. It's easy to avoid its charge by simply stepping to the side. As I do so, the beast stops directly beside me and I land a strong hit on its leg before it braces itself. Unknowing of what it will do, I decide to backstep and deploy my shield. It's a good job I did so as it spins and creates a whirlwind that picks up dust and debris from the ground. I was forced to backstep again to avoid it all, but Soma and Lindow weren't so lucky as they were dragged into the air by the air currents. Once the whirlwind subsides, they properly position themselves and use gravity to aid in attack power, slashing at the Kyuubi as they fall to earth. I switch my Arc into Gun Form and fire a few mortars at the monster. They don't appear to be very effective, although they have pushed the Kyuubi slightly off course for another charge attack. It hits nobody. Instead, the beast turns towards us and sits down.

"What is it doing?" I can't help but ask. As soon as I do so, I notice some sort of energy gathering in its mouth.

"Don't let your guard down!" I hear Alisa shouting as she goes in for a melee attack, moving behind the beast as it launches multiple moving orbs towards me. I side step twice to dodge them, but they continue to follow me. I'm forced to deploy my shield but that only stops some of the damage I attack from the rotating orbs. Some of the orbs were able to hit me from the side as the shield isn't wide enough to protect my entire body.

"Guh!" I grunt uncontrollably as the pain shoots up my sides. It's a quick acting pain so it also quickly subsides. Regardless, I consume a restore pill to boost my endurance. I turn back to the Kyuubi and see it sprinting towards Lindow with some sort of bubbles rising from its shadow as it does so. He deploys his shield but the momentum from the Kyuubi takes him back several metres. I run towards the monster as it twists and turns to try and attack Soma and Alisa by its sides. Before I get to the beast, it launches another powerful tornado. By now, I know what to do when I'm caught in it. Soma and Alisa were also caught in it and we all use the power of gravity to add extra power to our attacks. My attack hits one of the Kyuubi's tails while Soma's and Alisa's attacks hit its back. The force from their attacks causes the beast to crumble under the extra weight and gives us the chance to slice and dice at its body parts as it struggles to get up. Suddenly, it propels itself into the air and into a backflip, using its tails to sweep at Lindow and I. He manages to avoid it with a quick side step, but the beast manages to hit me and cause me to fly backwards a few metres. I don't manage to stick the landing and end up on my back.

"Roll to the side!" I hear Alisa shout and do so immediately, despite the protests from my muscles. It's only a second later that the sun that was shining so brightly on me is blocked out. I get to my feet with a bit of effort and see the Kyuubi standing exactly where I would have been, meaning I would have been pinned under the Aragami and at the wrath of it. While Soma and Lindow attack the beast, I feel as though I've been shot. I look to the only one that is currently using a gun and see Alisa firing healing bullets towards me.

"Thanks!" I shout towards her as I feel as though the energy is returning to my legs. I spring towards the monster but it springs itself backwards too. This time, it doesn't try to hit anyone with its tail and is just trying to escape. A couple of bullets from Alisa makes it stumble to the ground and I ready up my Arc to devour the beast. Once its prepared, I let it loose on the Kyuubi. I'm unable to find the core as I do so,so it should still be alive, but it doesn't move.

"Don't let your guard down." Lindow states the same thing Alisa told me only minutes earlier. He assumes his combat stance while Soma rests his Arc on his shoulders. I let my shoulders sag but keep a firm hold of my Arc. Alisa, meanwhile, returns her Arc to Melee Form.

"Not that I ever would." Soma casually remarks as he takes his Arc off of his shoulders and aims it towards the Kyuubi as it stumbles to its feet.

"It's still alive!" Alisa shouts. I thought it was, after all, I hadn't extracted the core when I let my Arc devour the beast. We watch as it manages to get back to its feet and roars once more, signalling that it's not dead yet. It roars again, but this time, many small orbs curl around the beast before meeting in the air to form one very large orb. The Kyuubi roars again as it releases many of the smaller orbs in all directions. Alisa, Soma and I deploy our shields which does a great job in protecting us from its Oracle attack, but due to the sheer amount of orbs coming towards us, it won't be long before someone drops their shield. Knowing this, Lindow readies his own Arc as he charges towards the beast.

"I'm goin' in!" He shouts without giving any of us the time to stop him from doing so. He dodges the oracle orbs with ease as he drifts from side to side a zigzag motion. With the few orbs that he can't dodge, he hits them away with his Arc. Eventually, he's close enough to the Aragami that he leaps into the air and swings his Arc down on the beast. However, the Kyuubi sees it coming and kicks up a whirlwind. As its oracle attack has stopped, the rest of us run towards the beast. We see that the Kyuubi has managed to knock Lindow off course; his Arc now moving away from the monster. Lindow lets it slip out of his hand as the gold gauntlet around his right arm also breaks. It reveals a claw of some sort which he uses to grab the beast.

"Why won't you just stay down!" He states rather than questions as he brings his claw down on the beast's head. The Kyuubi crumbles to the ground, its legs giving away as its head hits the floor. I'll have to ask Lindow about his claw later. Right now though, we have to finish off this beast.

"Now! Ataaaack!" Lindow commands, turning towards us and taking his hand off of the Kyuubi. Alisa is the first to respond as she slides on her knees under the beast while rapidly firing shots at its underbelly. Soma attacks from the air with a widespread devouring attack. Meanwhile, I'm right in front of its head that it has since lifted off of the ground, and with one swift, yet powerful slash, using my Blood Art, it falls to the ground. It doesn't get back up.

"Move in!" I see Lindow with a hand to his ear communicating with someone and seconds later, a large, armoured white van appears from behind a large rock. Very quickly, the people inside the van hand some things to Soma and Alisa. They immediately know what to do and begin hacking off parts of the Kyuubi. I guess that all of the Kyuubi must be useful if they're not just going after its core. It does make sense though, it is a pure-blooded Aragami.

About five minutes later, Soma and Alisa are still working on extracting parts of the Kyuubi and carrying them back into the van. Meanwhile, I'm left outside watching them do whatever they are doing. Lindow has decided to sit atop the van and smoke. I didn't know he was a smoker; I think my image of him has been tarnished slightly.

"Hey, nice job, kid." He suddenly speaks up and grabs my attention. "Why dontcha take a seat." He pats the space beside him, gesturing for me to sit on the van with him. I decide to comply, working my way up the van and sitting down next to him. I try to ignore his cigarette but the smell begins to get too much. However, I don't come outright and say that I'm uncomfortable with him smoking, instead, I just try to move my head away from the smoke. That's not the only thing that has me concerned though, sitting right next to him, I can clearly see his claw. It covers the entirety of his forearm and looks like it must be painful.

"Heh! You looking at the arm?" He must have noticed me staring at it as he lifts it up from his leg. It does give me a better look at it. I'm sure I've seen a similar claw somewhere. I nod my head. "Haha! You're honest. I like that. Wanna hear the story?" I must admit, I am very curious about it. It doesn't seem fake or something he'd wear just for fashion or to stand out. It must be real. "It must have been about three years ago now." He begins his story, not waiting to hear my response. He probably already knew what my answer would be anyway. "I was trapped between a rock and an Aragami place." That's a terrible joke. "The beast snapped up my armlet like it was nothing. Once it's in the blood the infection spreads like wildfire. That's how this thing happened." He moves his right arm again, gesturing towards it. So he got that from being infected with Oracle Cells? Shouldn't they have taken over his body? Turned him into an Aragami? How come it stopped at the forearm?

The Captain of the 1st Unit at the time—Who I don't think you've met yet, strangely enough—" So this guy is still around? Is he with Cradle? "—joined up with Kota to find a way to halt it." I guess that means they were successful. "Together, they put their lives on the line and just barely stopped the infection." He stares at his arm for a little while, seeming to reminisce in his memories. "Huh… I guess a lot happened back then. Well, maybe we can talk about it some other time." He scratches his head and abruptly drops the topic. It must bring back some memories that he's not prepared to share yet. He stares at me awkwardly before he turns away and scratches his head again. I wonder if he's uncomfortable under my gaze, so I look ahead of me, and away from him.

"Hey," He grabs my attention again. "by the way, Captain, I… well, you don't have to answer right away, but…" Ah, I wonder if he wants to learn a Blood Art. It makes sense though. I did kind of tease him about how Soma and Alisa are working on one. "Okay, well it's just that…" Lindow speaks very quickly. Is he nervous? "Well I mean, I guess I kinda like you… and the Blood crew and all that. So, um… well, if it's cool with you…" He looks at me again, "Why don't you join Cradle and fight alongside us?" His offer surprises me to the extent that I can't help but widen my eyes. Out of everything I thought he was going to ask, I would never have thought that we, my unit and I, be offered to join Cradle.

"Lindow always gets so flustered when he tries to recruit new members." I hear the smile in Alisa's voice as she continues working.

"Yeah. It's almost too embarrassing to watch. Almost." Soma also shares in the humour at the expense of Lindow.

"I can hear you, y'know! Hurry up and get us ready to move out! We ain't got all day." Lindow raises his voice slightly to address his fellow members of Cradle. Meanwhile, I'm still surprised about the invite, but I already know my answer. "A-Anyways, you don't have to reply right now. Talk it over with the rest of the team, yeah? Get back to me when you have the chance." Lindow follows up on his request. "Together, we can travel the world, see some sights, fight some Aragami. But most important meet all different kinds of people… And build a cradle for them, so that every last one can sleep truly safe at night, you know." He looks towards me with hope lacing his voice as he speaks of Cradle's objectives. His words only fuel my resolve for my own unit though. "That's the dream Cradle was named for, back when we started this. Me, the old Captain, Alisa, and Soma together strive to make this dream real. I really hope you'll share in it too. But, hey, no pressure. It's up to you. Ball's in your court. So uh… Yeah."

"We'll have to refuse your offer." I state plainly, although I have a smile on my face.

"That was quick." I hear Alisa from the inside of the van.

"Yeah, it was. Mind telling me why?" Lindow scratches his head and has a sad smile on his face. I immediately feel guilty at this and give an explanation. With a fist to my chest, I explain.

"The reason is selfish compared to Cradle, but all of my unit feel the same. My unit still isn't whole yet." I give him a smile, "You know of the Spiral Tree, yeah?" If he doesn't it just means my explanation will be longer.

"I see." I hear Soma's response from below us. He must have already figured out my reasoning.

"Yeah, I know of it." Lindow states with a neutral face. He probably doesn't know where I'm going with this.

"There was a time when Blood Special Forces had 6 members. Me, Ciel, Nana and Gilbert, who you've met, but then there was Romeo and the ex-captain Julius."

"Oh, I've heard of Julius." Lindow rubs his head. I hear a satisfied hum from beside us and know it belongs to Alisa. She must have figured out my reasoning now, wanting to hear it directly from my mouth so she got back out of the van to hear it. She remains where she is though; probably wanting to hear the full explanation.

"Julius left Blood so that he could protect us. He helped to engineer the God Arc Soldiers. Ultimately though, the project was only a rouse for another one. One that would make Julius the Singularity that would destroy the world." I look to Lindow and see if he's still following me. He doesn't interrupt so I assume he is. "All of us at the Far East fought against it which resulted in the Spiral Tree. Somewhere in there, my unit and I believe Julius is still fighting and one day we will save him and bring him back to us."

"I see." I see a big smile on Lindow's face. "I can tell by the look on your face what Julius means to you." Lindow replies and I know exactly what he's talking about. I can feel the smile on my face as I talk about Julius and how we will save him. I honestly believe that we can save him, and that's what Blood's objective is. At the moment, we aren't strong enough to save him. Even if we could, we can't get into the Spiral Tree and just look for him. It will take a lot of planning before that happens.

"Maybe after we've rescued Julius we would join," I say purely so that I'm not rejecting the fact that we may never join Cradle, "but until then, Blood's only objective is to save Julius." It's an objective that I've made for us, and it's and objective I aim to succeed in.


	90. Chapter 90 - A reward for our hard work

Chapter 90

DISCLAIMER: I DO NOT OWN THE GOD EATER FRANCHISE HOWEVER I DO OWN MY OC.

Also, please leave a review!

Name: Cedrick Esparza  
Gender: Male  
Hairstyle: Style 7 (Dark Brown) 

"Great job, guys!" Kanon compliments our work as soon as we walk back into the Den. I move out of the way of the door to let Alisa, Soma and Lindow pass by with numerous suitcases. These will be the parts of the Kyuubi they collected about ten minutes ago.

"Yeah, we defeated the big bad beast that had troubled us for a while." Lindow humorously says as he fist bumps the air, taking care not to drop the suitcases in his hands.

"Oh please," Alisa begins, walking by us with a smile, "Cedrick did most of the work defeating the Kyuubi." You can clearly hear that she's joking.

"What?! No way! We all did it together." Lindow decides to play along with her joke.

"Really? Did you really do most of the work?" Kanon asks me with a hopeful glint in her eyes. Clearly, she's the only one that didn't get the joke.

"Oh yeah," Soma walks by, "It was all him." I have the feeling that Soma has placed most of the credit on me for a reason entirely different than Alisa. Maybe it's just because he wants to avoid a crowd gathering around him. I know he isn't exactly a people person.

"Wow!" Kanon clasps both of her hands around mine. "How did you do it?" I can't help but feel awkward at the situation and try to nonchalantly squirm out of her grasp, but her hands are locked onto mine. I try to look around for someone to help me out. I manage to catch a glimpse of Soma's face before he ascends the lift. He wears the type of face that says, 'I'm glad I got out of there'. I have no doubt that Alisa and Lindow are thinking the same thing. Actually, from what I've seen of Lindow, he'd probably want to be crowded around. Maybe Alisa gave me most of the credit so that the three of them could work on the samples they extracted. I'm going to have my revenge on them at some point.

"Yeah, I'm exhausted." I'm not, but I just want her to leave me alone. Shouldn't other people be checking how the mission went? You know, like my unit? Or maybe even the 1st Unit? Or even the other member of the 4th Unit? You know, someone to just help me out of this mess. Kanon still doesn't let go of my hands. "It's a long story. I'll tell you some other time." I quickly force my hands out of Kanon's grip. However, I didn't expect her to let go as soon as I finished speaking so I end up hitting my leg as I pull my hands out of her lock.

"Where's everyone else, by the way?" I ask her. It's been on my mind after all; why would she be the only one to meet me?

"Oh, right!" She looks as though she's had a revelation or maybe just remembered something. That's how she sounded when she spoke anyway. "They're all getting ready!"

"Getting ready for what?" If she said they're all resting after their battles I would understand, but her words are very ambiguous.

"Are you ready for it?" She says with a very wide smile which only confuses me more. Her hands are behind her back and she's pushed all of her weight onto one leg, leaning forward and ready to surprise me. "Here it comes…" She almost hums as she shifts her weight onto her other leg, almost in an enticing, very feminine motion. "We're all going to the hot springs!" She stands up straight and extends her arms into the air as she shrills. A huge smile on her face. They're going to a hot spring? Her? Ciel? Nana? The water dripping down their naked bodies, seductively dripping from their curves. I can't help but feel a little excited but at the same time a little disappointed. Despite all of the thoughts going through my head, I won't be able to see any of them.

"Well, have fun." I try not to sound depressed as I walk away from her. I'm sure I feel my eyes becoming wet at the thought of missing such an occasion. It's most likely a females-only event. Which is why I can't go.

"Where are you going?" I feel Kanon grabbing onto one of my hands. I can't face her. If I do, I know I'll start thinking perverted thoughts. I don't want to do that right now. It's bad enough that they're going to the hot springs without me. I don't want to start imagining how they would look naked…

"To my room." I tell her plainly, emotionlessly. She let's go of my hand.

"Oh, you probably have to get ready too." Get ready too? What do you mean, Kanon?

"Huh?" I turn to her in confusion. Kanon, please don't say things that will confuse my heart. I don't think I can handle the pain.

"Wait, you're not coming?!" She looks depressed but I still don't get what she means. This event is a girls-only thing, right? You just want me to accompany you to make sure nothing happens while you get there, right? Please don't toy with me, Kanon. I don't like it.

"Going where?"

"To the hot springs, of course! Gilbert, Haru, Kota and Emil are all coming too." Wait. Wait. Wait. Wait. I thought this was a girls-only thing. I feel a warmth grow in my chest.

"Yeah, I'll go!" Sharing the hot spring with four other lads is a small price to pay if I can see the girls naked. Besides, only Haru and I would be interested in watching the girls. Kota and Gilbert don't seem interested in that sort of thing at the minute. I think Gilbert still isn't over his ex-captain Kate when he was in the Glasgow Branch. But maybe it's a good thing that he isn't. It means more for me to ogle at. Emil probably thinks he's better than us, so he won't even think about looking at the girls.

"Great! You can meet us there!" Kanon proceeds to give me the directions to the hot spring and I find out that it is based within the Outter Ghetto. I quickly go to my room and grab everything that I think I will need. I've never been to a hot spring before. This will be my first time, and I want it to be memorable.

"Aaah." I breathe a sigh of relief as I step into the water where it rests in the middle of my chest. I didn't think a hot spring would be so perfect. The heat from the water does a great job in relaxing me.

"How's the water?" I hear a feminine voice and get a little excited. However, my excitement plummets as soon as I remember that we've been separated by a wall of logs. Yes, this hot spring doesn't allow for mixed genders. Instead, there are sections for both genders; male and female. This means that the woman who spoke up, wasn't speaking to me and isn't even getting into the same water I am in. It is a major disappointment, but I haven't given up on trying to see their naked bodies. I look towards the logs that separate our baths.

"It's perfect!" I can identify that as Kanon's voice. She must already be in the water. Her boobs floating on the surface and the sweat dripping from them. Yeah, the best part of a woman is definitely her breasts. I smile to myself before walking towards the only other male in the vicinity.

"How's progress?" I whisper to Haruomi. He was the first one inside the male section of the hot springs, but he is yet to take a dip in the water. Instead, he's trying to break a small hole in one of the logs so that we can spy on the girls.

"It's getting there." He grunts as quietly as he can allow so he doesn't alert the two women in the hot spring next to us. After all, if we can hear the women, they can hear us too. So we have to whisper. They're less likely to hear us that way. "You might want to make your own spyhole. I doubt that I'll be looking away anytime soon." He comments harshly, but I understand what he means. He is putting a lot of effort into creating the spyhole after all. Nevertheless, it still feels like someone has stabbed me in the heart.

"How would I do that?" I almost feel like shouting at him in anger, but if I want even a chance to see the women naked, I can't let myself get too worked up and thus have to whisper.

"I came prepared." He discretely hands me a tool. It has a relatively blunt end and a rotary device attached to it. "It's a hand drill. I'm using one right now." I see him twisting the rotary device slowly and quietly and see specs of wood being removed from the log.

"I see." Getting out of the hotspring, wrapping a towel around my waist and moving to the other side of the log. As if we label the logs from his side to my side, then he's started drilling between the second and third log while I've started drilling between the fourteenth and fifteenth log. Thus, I'm a lot closer to the entrance to our section of the hot spring. Which means I can hide behind the door and am the least likely to be seen drilling into the wall.

"Yeah, this isn't my first time in a hot spring." I hear Gilbert's voice from the room where we put all of our clothes. It means that he's just about ready to enter the baths, but who is he talking to?

"I must admit that this isn't my first time either." I hear Emil as well. If anyone here were to question my actions, it would be him. Gilbert knows how I've got an interest in Ciel so he'll probably just wind me up about it later. Emil, on the other hand, thinks of me as a _noble comrad_ , and I doubt anybody of nobility would be trying to peek on naked women. I need to speed up and create a spyhole for myself. I try to mute the occasional loud sound my coughing so that the girls don't hear the fact that I'm trying to drill a hole in the wall.

"Wow, Kanon, you're pretty big!" I hear from the other side of the wall and start drilling faster.

"Hey! Don't grab them!" Kanon shouts in protest and I begin to feel even more excited. I drill even faster. Kanon's shrills are loud enough that they block out the sound of the drill, or I hope so at least. They haven't looked in my direction yet.

"Wow!" I hear Haruomi gasp at the situation and turn towards him. He has his eye against the spyhole that he must have finished. It only fuels me to drill even faster.

One minute passes by and I finally manage to form the spyhole, I go to look through it,

"My friend? What are you doing?" Emil asks with surprise in his voice from behind me with no consideration to lower it in case we are heard by the girls. Nevertheless, I ignore him. It's too late to come up with an excuse now and the chances he would believe it are slim. "Spying on the women?" He whispers. At least he has the audacity to do that. I hear another person get into the water behind me. It's definitely Gilbert judging by the fact that he hasn't even commented on Haruomi or I am spying on the girls. I keep watching through the hole. I see a very flat chested Erina groping a busty babe called Kanon. Her boyfriend must have good taste in women to choose someone as big as her. The way her boobs are grabbed makes the breasts spill over the fingers of the younger women that's groping her. How I wish I was the one that was feeling Kanon's boobs. Water runs through Erina's hands and onto Kanon's tits before they drop off of them alluringly. Another two women enter the hot spring. I don't even need to see one of the woman's faces to know who she is. With a tanned body, slender legs and a decent sized chest, Nana drops straight into the hot spring. The woman that was with her, however, has almost pure white skin, muscular, yet feminine legs and boobs that rival the size of Kanon's. If I hadn't already thought about what this woman had looked like under her clothes, I would have had no idea that it was Ciel. And she is amazing. She enters the hot spring more reluctantly than Nana as she dips a toe in first to test the water.

"Cedrick?" Damn, I forgot about Emil wanting an answer.

"Relax, Emil. Pretend you never saw this." I easily speak and hear a set of footsteps walking away from me. The fact that I didn't say that I wasn't spying on them should make it clear to him what I was doing. I've probably ruined my image of him in his mind but that is completely acceptable. I'm not a knight, after all. Just a regular hormonal male.

"Wow! You're big too!" Erina grabs a hold of Ciel's tits as soon as she submerges most of her body into the water. I'm getting very excited at the sight of this. As she grabs and molests Ciel, I notice something that I didn't see when Erina was grabbing Kanon.

"They're very pink." I can't help but whisper to myself as I see Ciel's small, pink nipples. Again, the water from Erina's hands drops onto Ciel's boobs, but since hers hasn't been submerged in the water yet Ciel gives out a very erotic groan as the hot water makes contact with her soft, white breasts. I can't help but feel jealous as Erina continues her onslaught. I wanted to be the first person to grab Ciel's boobs! I can't believe that she'd let Erina grab them! Although, thanks to Erina, I've gotten to see some pretty pink nipples.

"Nana's pretty big too." Kanon comments, although unlike Erina, she doesn't grab Nana's breasts. They are smaller than Kanon's and Ciel's but are much bigger than Erina, something she doesn't hesitiate to point out. I've seen Nana's breasts so often that I feel nothing for them. If I could see her nipples though, it might be a different story. And Erina's body doesn't do anything for me either.

"Why are you all so big?" She complains before hugging her petite figure.

"Hey, the boys are pretty quiet." Kanon says suddenly and I feel the topic of conversation switch to us. I already know what direction this conversation is going in, so I leave the spyhole and retreat into the water, trying to be as quiet as I possibly can be. A few seconds later, I see Haruomi do the same thing.

"They must be up to something." Erina speaks up and I can imagine her to have a scowl on her face. Although, it doesn't seem very threatening now that I've seen her petite figure. I lean back into the hot spring, extending my arms out to keep me upright.

"Are they spying on us?" Kanon suggests with a bit of fear in her voice. I hear a few gasps and splashes of water. The splashes of water are probably the girls trying to cover themselves up, but I can't help but smile wildly at the thought of Erina doing the same thing. She's got nothing to cover!

"Nah, I don't think the guys are like that." Nana speaks up and tries to come to our defence. I don't know why she would though. She seems pretty trusting.

"Hey, Cedrick," I tune out the women as Kota speaks up. I didn't even hear him get into the hot spring. I look to him as he speaks and he doesn't look to happy. "How did you get that scar?" He points to my chest and sure enough, there is a large circular scar sitting in the centre of my chest. I already know what it is from, but I haven't even thought about it in a long time. I absentmindly pat it a few times.

"You remember when Romeo died?" I tilt my head back so that it's leaning against the side of the hot spring; my head facing towards the sky. I don't wait for him to answer, I already know that he remembers. "We went back to Friar for a little while, and I tried to cheer my unit up. For some reason, I thought that by taking Nana out on a mission, she would temporarily forget about the pain and the void Romeo has left in our hearts." I smile sadly, truly speaking from the heart. I hadn't expected that I would be telling this story earlier. None of the other lads speak up while I tell my story, they know it's difficult for me to tell. I look to my right towards the log wall that separates the females from the males. I haven't heard the women speak for a while, and this silence-for-effect lets me see if the girls are listening too. Surprisingly, I see an eye poking out from the spyhole that Haruomi made. I can't help but feel my heart stop at the fact that one of the girls is actually looking straight at me and my scarred chest. I don't comment on it though, but it does make me wonder who actually is staring at me. I look to the hole that I created and see another eye. Two of the girls are staring at me? I tilt my head back again and a smile crosses my face; a sad smile. I guess my story has also attracted the girls' attention.

"I was right. It did make Nana temporarily forget the pain she felt at Romeo's death, but only because my death was so close." I look to each of the guys sharing the section with me. Thankfully, it is only us God Eaters in the hot spring at this time of day. Gilbert's head is turned away from me as I speak. Emil and Kota look me dead in the eye with worry on their faces. Haruomi is the only one that looks at me with a sad smile. "I was fighting against a Borg Camlann but I wasn't appropriately equipped for the fight. In the end, I accepted the fact that I was going to die there. I had closed my eyes as soon as I felt the Borg Camlann's tail jab into me." I look back to the eyes of the two women that were spying on me. I'm sure their eyes look as though they are glistening. "But Nana snapped out of it and saved my life. Before the Aragami's tail could pierce any further, Nana batted it away. Of course, I don't think she realised that it had already pierced my chest as when she batted it away, its tail came flying upwards and cut more of my chest in the process. But nothing critical was hit." I pat my scar. "It serves as a reminder what my team mean to me and what I mean to them." I pat Gilbert on the back, mainly to comfort him. I would try and comfort the girls as well, but they probably haven't realised that I saw them peeking on me. After all, we've already lost two people from our unit, and I could have been a third. In Gilbert's mind, it would be the third captain that he had lost, involving his ex-captain Kate, and the fourth person he would have lost that I know of, including Romeo and Julius.

"Well, this conversation has taken a turn for the worse." Not just to conversation, but the whole atmosphere feels kind of dull and kind of sad. "Why don't we go and spy on the women?" I suggest as I try and lighten up the mood. Of course, I know that the two girls are still looking at us, which is why I said it.

"EEEK!" The girls shrill and I can't help but laugh. I also see that the eyes that were poking out from the spyholes have no been replaced with scattered pieces of wood. They've blocked up the spyholes that Haruomi and I were looking out of. It means we can't spy on them anymore. That doesn't matter though. I've seen something that most people don't get to see. Besides, I have something more concerning on my mind. Which girls were the ones peeking on us? Detective Esparza is on the case!


	91. Chapter 91 - I shouldn't be a detective

Chapter 91

DISCLAIMER: I DO NOT OWN THE GOD EATER FRANCHISE HOWEVER I DO OWN MY OC.

Also, please leave a review!

Name: Cedrick Esparza  
Gender: Male  
Hairstyle: Style 7 (Dark Brown) 

A/N: This one's a bit of a shorter chapter compared to my most recent chapters.

We don't stay in the hot springs for much longer. We were only in there for another 10 minutes or so before we were told that the hot springs would soon be closing. We all, males and females, decided to leave at that time. I'm actually pretty happy that we're all leaving at the same time. I mean, it might take a little while longer for the girls to get ready than us lads, but this way, I can check who was spying on us too. I absentmindedly rub the scar on my chest. The girls who were peeking would have saw it. I didn't really plan on showing anybody, but I had forgotten all about it with my perverted fantasies of saying Ciel, Nana and Kanon naked. I must say though, it was a small price to pay. I never imagined I would see a scene like that.

"Ready to go then, girls?" I speak up on behalf of the male group as the girls emerge from their changing room. All I'll have to do to see who spied on us is to watch their reactions around me. I know that whoever these girls were looked at my chest. The saw my marking. Now, I just need to see who will act guilty that they saw it, or who will try to avoid me.

"Yep!" Nana exclaims happily, almost bouncing on her feet. It's amazing how much energy she has. Even after relaxing in the hot spring, I'm still pretty tired. I'm sure that it's not just me that feels that way. Smiles from most of the other girls confirm that they're ready to go; _most_ of the other girls. Erina keeps her head down. So, she's one of the girls that was spying on us. She must have seen the mark on my chest. Knowing what I mean to her, as an instructor and a friend, I can understand why she will be feeling sad about the revelation that I had almost died on the battlefield. I do feel a little bad and unhappy that she was one of the people to see my chest. I'm not interested in her sexually. I was hoping that she was one of the ones that didn't see it. However, since she was, it might be easier to discover the other girl who was spying on me since the others are doing a good job in hiding any embarrassment or other feelings they are holding. I can ask Erina on the way back. Clearly, she's upset about something, even the others can see that; and they know that I've been teaching Erina so I doubt they'll question me if I hang back a bit and talk to her.

"Well, let's go then." Gilbert gets the ball rolling and leads the pack as we head back to the Den. Already, I've managed to match my pace with Erina's who no longer her head has down, but still looks depressed.

"Is something wrong, Erina?" I talk in a volume that's almost a whisper but still loud enough for Erina to hear at a distance.

"Huh?" She raises her head quickly to look me in the eye. "Nothing's wrong." She says in a panic. I merely look at her. She knows that for me to ask her if something was wrong, she must have been showing that she was sad. For that reason and the fact that I don't answer. She quickly resumes her depressed state. "I guess there is."

"Want to talk about it?" I ask her, expecting to say something along the lines of 'I didn't know you were so close to death' but what she actually says surprises me.

"Why are they all so big?!" She tenses her hands into squeezing motions and wears an annoyed expression on her face.

"What?" It was all I could say. I expected her to be depressed about me almost dying, not about the size of the other girls' boobs compared to hers.

"You've noticed too, haven't you?" She puts her hands about thirty centimetres in front of her chest and squeezes in a gesture that says _why don't I have boobs like that?_ "How big those girls are?"

"Don't forget, Erina, you _are_ younger than they are. You've still got time to grow." I didn't think I'd be having this conversation with the flat-chested girl.

"That's a ridiculous argument!" Erina refutes angrily and I can't help but feel a little bit scared at her outburst. Then again, I also feel a little bit scared that Erina trusts me enough to tell me of her female problems such as growing boobs. I look in front of me to the rest of the God Eaters. To my utter horror they've quickened their pace to the point that they're about 10 metres in front of us. The only one that didn't quicken their pace is the one person that will be no help at all.

"Cedrick is right, Erina." Emil begins with a smile on his face, "You still are yet to fully develop." I swear I see a vein pop in Erina's forehead. I sigh in frustration. I knew he'd be no help.

"What the hell, Emil?!" Erina angrily shouts. I'm glad she wasn't like this with me. Then again, I know that there are some things you shouldn't say to a woman. But wow, this whole situation is like Erina is my daughter and Emil is her older brother that likes to wind her up. If this is what having kids is like, I don't want any.

It isn't until we get back to the Den that I manage to escape from them. I tell them that I have somewhere else to be almost sprint back to my room; the fatigue from the hot spring and the fatigue from hearing Emil and Erina fight for the entire walk back to the Den really tired me out. I lock my bedroom door before jumping onto my bed. It doesn't take long for my vision to turn black and when it does, I happily welcome it.

Meanwhile,

"Hm?" Director Sakaki utters as he types away on his computer before leaning towards a monitor. "No, this is… Well it's certainly bad. Very bad." He speaks to himself in an almost worried voice, but he doesn't lose his composure. "Hibari, are you available?" He speaks he presses a key on his keyboard to get into contact with the operator in question. A brief silence fills the area as Sakaki continues typing on his board.

"How can I help, Director?" Hibari responds in a happy to help voice.

"I need you to get a message out immediately." Sakaki responds with no time to spare.

"Is it about the Aragami? I just pinged a new one on the wide-area radar scan."

"So, you're already on it? Most excellent." Sakaki responds in a happy voice that Hibari was willing to take he initiative as soon as she saw the Aragami's signal. I'm sending you a list of God Eaters. Mobilise these members immediately. We've got trouble on our hands." Sakaki continues speaking as he types away on his keyboard, sending the list to Hibari as he said he would.

"Message received, sir." She confirms receiving the message.

"Wonderful. I'll leave it to you to bring them all here, Hibari."

"Understood. Consider it done, Director." Hibari cuts the connection between Sakaki and her.

"Beep! Beep! Beep!" I grumble in my sleep, my consciousness slowly returning to the waking world. I turn over on my bed to try and block the irritating sound that woke me up. It continues though.

"Beep! Beep!" No matter what I try to do, I'll never be able to block the sound out. I'll have to see what's making the sound eventually, and since I'm already awake, angrily awake anyway, I should see what is causing the sound. Using this reasoning, I painfully tear myself away from my bed. I look at the clock by my beside and see it reads 07:45. It feels a lot earlier than that, but it might be because I didn't get enough sleep last night. I don't know how though, I must have been out like a light when my head got the pillow and I got comfortable. I think that was at like 21:00. Regardless, it's not the earliest I've woken up. So, I try to focus my hearing on where the beeping is coming from. I don't set things like alarms, so I know it's not from the clock. So, what else can make beeping noises like that? Standing on my feet, I follow my ears to where the beeping sound is coming from. It takes me to my terminal and I check the screen to see I have an email. The notification of the email flashes in time with the beeps.

"This is the cause of the beeping? An email? I don't think that's happened before." I try to recall previous times when I've received an email and if there was any beeping. But it is still way too early in the morning for my brain to be thinking about something like that, so I can't remember if it had beeped before. I decide to check the email and finally stop the incessant sound. It has a timestamp of very early in the morning; it reads 00:37. I check the sender and notice that it is Hibari.

"Why would Hibari send me something at that time?" I speak my thoughts aloud with confusion. I decide to read her email.

 _URGENT: Meet with Director Sakaki and I in his office at 09:00._

 _I know it will take some time for most of you to return to the Branch, but this is an urgent message or an urgent situation._

 _Thank you,_

 _Hibari Takeda._

Maybe the beeping was because it is an urgent message? The beeping was trying to make me read the email as soon as I could, but does that mean it has been beeping since 00:37? Well, I just hope that the rest of my unit didn't hear it. I mean, the beeping was loud for me, but there are some pretty thick walls between our rooms. They shouldn't have heard it.

"What's this meeting about then?" I ask myself as I begin my morning rituals. "Sakaki _and_ Hibari want to talk to us." Actually, who else is this email meant to be sent to? I'm pretty confident that I've met almost every God Eater whose home is the Far East Branch, the only person I haven't met is the Captain of the 1st Unit from three years ago; the captain before Kota. Is he one of the people that Hibari has called in? Has she called for outside help from other branches? I guess there's one way to find out and that is to attend this meeting. I look at the clock again as I am fully dressed and ready for the day. It reads as 08:00. There's still one hour left before the meeting… I decide to see if Mutsumi is awake and willing to cook me something to eat.


	92. Chapter 92 - Seemingly Impossible Task

Chapter 92

DISCLAIMER: I DO NOT OWN THE GOD EATER FRANCHISE HOWEVER I DO OWN MY OC.

Also, please leave a review!

Name: Cedrick Esparza  
Gender: Male  
Hairstyle: Style 7 (Dark Brown) 

Nine o'clock eventually strolls by. By which time, I've just made it into the Director's Office. As soon as I enter, I notice that there are more people than I expected to be in it. I make sure to close the door before advancing any further.

"Greetings! I'm terribly sorry to call you all here on such short notice." The director starts, turning towards me. It seems that I was the last one to show up if they're starting to explain now. The others in the room must have reached that conclusion too as they turn their heads towards me. As they do so, I turn my head towards all of them. There are five people in this room that I haven't met before. However, there are three which I have; the director, Hibari and Kanon. I'm curious as to why Kanon is here. Then again, I'm curious as to why I am here. The first person to stand out among the five is the skimpily dressed woman. She is also the one that stands the closest to me. The woman wears a purple leather jacket that only manages to cover her chest; the sleeves of which are slightly bunched up. She also has short black shorts with thigh-high boots. She wears a pink belt of sorts which makes sure nothing falls down, including her black thong which can clearly be seen and is a major turn off in her character. The fun about seeing a girl's underwear is the chase for it; it's no fun to instantly know what kind of underwear a girl wears. The woman also adorns an eyepatch that is barely visible due to her silver hair concealing most of it. This must be the woman that Kanon mentioned a long time ago when she said that her friend has the same condition as me; glaucoma.

"I know most of you haven't had the chance to get properly acquainted yet." The director continues, and I turn my head to the man standing a relatively short distance to my left. The man has brown hair in a generic style and wears a blue sleeveless jacket under which he wears a white t-shirt. He wears black and blue striped trousers and has bandages on both of his hands. He doesn't seem to be injured; which means he's wearing them for fashion. I move my head slightly to the man next to him. This man wears a red jacket underneath which is a black t-shirt. He also adorns white trousers with an orange belt as well as a pair of black and red boots. The right trouser leg is tucked into his boot too. Looking at all of these people so far makes me think that my clothing is generic.

"These are members of the Defense Unit that Kanon used to serve with." Sakaki introduces their unit to me and I look to the right of me. There are two more people behind the extravagantly dressed woman whom gives me a wave. One of which that wears a pink jacket that is buttoned at the side has a sour face. I would judge him for it but that may also be the same face that he always wears; 'resting bitch face' I believe it's called. The man also wears black trousers coupled with a pair of navy blue boots. His light blonde hair covers his right eye. I turn my attention to the more approachable person sat next to the previous man. This man has his reddish hair in a mid-length ponytail. He also wears a green hooded jacket with what looks to be a purple shirt underneath, brown fingerless gloves, trousers that are folded over his knees and black hiking boots. Yeah, judging by the look of all these people, my clothes are generic. I turn my attention to the two males on my left side, standing behind them is Kanon. The one with a blue jacket bows slightly to greet me.

"Yo!" The man clad in the red jacket gives me a greeting. Kanon on the other hand tilts her head to the side and gives me a smile in a cute fashion. Although she probably doesn't realise that. I return my attention back to the director. Hibari stands beside him.

"You can all get to know one another and exchange pleasantries later, but, for the moment, let's proceed with the briefing, shall we?" Director Sakaki turns towards the operator. "Hibari, whenever you're ready, you may begin."

"Of course." The operator speaks up as she looks at her clipboard. "Things are looking grim. In the last few hours we have received new intel from the Northwest Oracle Observation Post." Yeah… I don't know what that is, but sure, continue, Hibari. "A herd of Aragami is advancing rapidly on the Far East Branch. At the forefront is a psion unlike any we've ever seen." A psion? I haven't fought one in a while. I was wondering when they were going to make a reappearance, but can't my unit handle this? "We've mobilised Blood Special Forces, Cradle, the First, and the Fourth Units to help stem the tide, but this mass of Aragami will still be a threat." She announces calmly. Surely she's overexaggerating; with all of the God Eaters in the Branch fighting against it, it should definitely fall.

"Ah, that makes sense. So that's why you summoned the Defence Unit back to the Den, huh?" The man in the red jacket speaks up.

"Of course." Sakaki answers him. "They are our shield wall. Our most stalwart guardians. No God Eater knows quite how to turn back an Aragami assault as well as you." He sings their praises. "I'll tell it to you straight, ladies and gentlemen, each of you are the elites, the very best, from our main combat units." Sakaki looks and I turn my attention to Kanon. She's the best in her unit? Surely not. She's still my student. Isn't Haruomi better than her at pretty much everything? "And we need the best." Sakaki continues.

"Maybe," The God Eater dressed in a green jacket speaks up, "but we're still first-gen God Eaters." They are? So, I'm the only one here that can change my God Arc's form? I think I know why I've been called here now.

"That is true." Hibari speaks nonchalantly. "In most situations, a psion's Oracle Bias Field would disable your God Arcs." She closes her eyes as she speaks purely for dramatic effect. "However, the Captain's Evoke can make the difference." I widen my eyes in surprise. I didn't expect Hibari to confirm my thoughts so quickly but it makes sense to do it now. "Evoke can awaken your unique Blood Arts." I feel all heads turn towards me. "You will gain significant immunity to the Bias. The herd will reach the Far East soon. It is up to all of you to awaken these new abilities." Hibari fully confirms my thoughts, but there are a few problems with this plan. Before I get the chance to speak up, Hibari continues. "Those powers are the backbone of our strategy. We can survive this siege."

"I've give Hibari full command of operation for this coming campaign. She'll be running the show, so to speak." Sakaki takes over for Hibari whose attention has been shifted away from us. I turn to face the same direction she is facing to see a door open. I didn't even know that there was a door there. I thought it was just painted on. Does that mean that there's one on the other side too? Regardless of my thoughts, two people step out. The first one to confidently stride out of the door is a man wearing an operator uniform which is made up from a white shirt, a red tie, and a blue navy vest as well as dark brown trousers and silver gloves. In contrast, the woman that nervously follows behind him also wears an operator uniform which consists of a short sleeved white dress, a small red ribbon and a corset-type vest. She also wears black tights and red shoes. I must admit, she is very attractive. Her eyes match the purple colour of her hair. Is her underwear purple too? I know details like that are important to women to make sure that things match.

"Since she cannot oversee all units, and manage the campaign," Sakaki continues, his own attention being diverted to the newcomers. "and run the war room, I'm bringing in two support operators. Allow me to introduce them. These are the brand-new operators, Teruomi Makabe and Urara Hoshino." At the mention of their names, each one bows; the former bows confidently, while the latter looks nervously to Sakaki before bowing.

"Hey guys," Teruomi speaks with brimming confidence, "it's a reall pleasure to meet you all. My name's Teruomi Makabe." He gives a proper introduction. "I was a field mechanic with Cradle, but I wanted to see the other side, so I put in a request to move to Operations Command. I'm grateful for the opportunity. This is still my first year, so I've got plenty to learn about Ops." He gives a bit of his backstory but I can't help but wonder if it was a mistake to have someone so inexperienced join the roster at a time like this. I just hope he can handle the pressure. "Nonetheless, I'm looking forward to working with each and every one of you. Thanks." Yeah, he'll be able to manage. He seems like a good guy. He gives a bow. After a brief silence, he turns to his colleague. "Psst! Urara." He speaks in a voice slightly above a whisper.

"Oh, right." She nervously jumps to attention, playing with her fingers and looking away from us all. "Umm… H-Hi…" Not a very strong introduction… "I mean, hello!" She starts again. "My name is Urara Hoshino, I'm still really new at this so…" She gives a bow as she speaks. "I haven't worked in the field a lot," She bows even lower, she's really nervous; it's kind of cute. "But I'm really looking forward to helping out!" Nothing about her personal life? That's a shame, I would have wanted to hear about it. I suppose I can't talk though, considering I've hid my own personal life for so long. I wonder what's become of my uncle, actually. I'll have to give him a call at some point.

"To help reduce Hibari and Fran's workload," Sakaki interjects but I can't help but continue looking at the new operators. I find it cute the way that Urara stands back up straight and takes a deep, quiet breath to calm herself. "we must bring both of these operators up to speed quickly and efficiently. I'll be counting on all of you to do your part." It sounds as though Sakaki is ready to dismiss us. However, this plan still has problems. "Know that I wish you all the best of luck in the coming battles. God Eaters, you are dismissed."

"Wait!" I make my voice heard and dismiss the fact that everyone is staring at me. "Do you know how hard it is to learn a Blood Art? It's taken Erina and Emil days before they could learn theirs. How much time do we have before we need to strike?" It's pretty much impossible for all of these God Eaters to learn a Blood Art before we need to strike.

"We have a couple of days." Hibari announces simply.

"A couple of days? It took that much for Alisa to learn a Blood Art and she is an elite, as far as I'm aware. That means it would take about ten days for everyone here to learn a Blood Art." I complain with a hand to my head. These people think that Blood Arts are easy? Even Romeo had difficulty learning a Blood Art and it wasn't until he died that his Arc had actually registered a Blood Art. The fact that Romeo had been in the Blood Unit for well over a year and hadn't learned one for so long—it doesn't bode well for these guys. "Romeo couldn't even learn a Blood Art." I remind them with a sorrowful voice.

"Unfortunately," Sakaki begins, "there is no other option. We need everyone here to learn a Blood Art by the time the battle commences." He states plainly, although he does have a smile on his face. "I understand your reasoning, and it is for the matter that you suggested that you will need to spend the entirety of the next two days going on missions with everyone here." I merely sigh at his words. He's putting a lot of pressure on me. I have to make everyone here learn a Blood Art within a couple of days… it is insane! "There's no doubt that you will be the one with the most work to do. So, you know what they say, the early bird catches the worm." I sigh again at his attempt to try and get me to start working with everyone.

"Who wants to go first?" I ask in a less than impressed voice. Almost instantly, I get a response.

"We'll go." Kanon speaks up with a huge smile on her face as she places her hands on the shoulders of the red jacket wearing man and the blue jacket wearing man.

"Yeah, I'd like to learn a Blood Art pretty quickly." The red jacket wearing man speaks up in a joyous tone.

"It would be beneficial if you could teach us. We'd have the advantage when going into battle." The man wearing a blue jacket speaks up.

"Actually," I turn to Hibari as I hear her speak up. "I've got two missions already planned for you, Cedrick. The first of which seems to have been sorted out by itself. You are to go on a mission with Kanon, Tatsumi and Brendan with Teruomi as the operator. Then you are to go on a mission with Gina, Karel and Shun with Urara as the operator. Think of these missions as introductory missions." Hibari tells me with a smile.

"Sure." I turn towards the group of Kanon, Tatsumi and Brendan; the latter of two I cannot match a name to a face. "We'll meet in ten minutes at the entrance to the Den. It should give all of us enough time to get our things ready." I give out the command, and they are more than willing to comply. The next couple of days are going to be very exhausting…


	93. Chapter 93 - Introductory Mission - BTT

Chapter 93

DISCLAIMER: I DO NOT OWN THE GOD EATER FRANCHISE HOWEVER I DO OWN MY OC.

Also, please leave a review!

Name: Cedrick Esparza  
Gender: Male  
Hairstyle: Style 7 (Dark Brown) 

Ten minutes pass by and I meet up with the four individuals whom will take part in this mission. Those people being Kanon, Tatsumi, Brendan and Teruomi.

"Okay," Kanon begins happily, clasping her hands and tilting her body from side to side as she speaks. "time for introductions!" She seems really excited for us all to know each other. "Tatsumi, Brendan, I'd like you to meet…" She extends her arms towards me in a 'ta da' expression, "my instructor!" I know they haven't met me or anything yet, but I still can't put a name to face. Which one is Tatsumi and which one is Brendan? It would be nice if they could clear that up for me. Kanon's introduction for me doesn't go as well as she hoped it would. She didn't even use my name. It's lucky that they heard it while we were in Director Sakaki's office otherwise I'd have to tell them now.

"Oh, this oughta be fun." The man in the red jacket slightly turns his body away while scratching the back of his head as he speaks.

"Hm?" Kanon happily, and perhaps threateningly, hums.

"Nothing." Yeah, this guy must have heard the sinister tone embedded within the happy one as he is quick to deny he said anything. He removes his hand from his head and points it to himself as he faces me. "The name's Tatsumi O'Mori," Ah, so he's Tatsumi. The one in the blue jacket must be Brendan then. "captain of the Far East Branch's Satellite Defence Unit. A pleasure." He introduces himself.

"I am Brendan Bardel," The man in the blue jacket introduces himself too. "God Eater of the same." His introduction seems a bit too formal.

"Our unit's always spread a bit thin. We most often work alone to defend the new Satellite Bases while they're being constructed." Tatsumi explains. "I've been hearing all sorts of great stuff about your work though. Can't wait to fight alongside you.

"Yes. I am deeply grateful for all that you have done to keep the Far East secure. So… Thank you." Brendan bows as he speaks robotically.

"Hey! Why so formal, man?" His captain casually remarks with a hand extended to Brendan's face. Does Brendan speak formally all the time? Or is he just nervous about meeting me? Nah, it can't be the latter. Nobody should be nervous about meeting me. "It'll be awesome to work with you, Cedrick! I'm looking forward to it." Tatsumi continues speaking with a smile on his face as he extends a hand out to me.

"Same here." I take Tatsumi's hand into my own and shake it.

"Yes, instructor. I agree." Brendan extends his hand out too and I shake it. He called me instructor though. Is he going to be my third pupil? Maybe when I retire as a God Eater I can permanently become an instructor. By the time I do retire, I'll have enough experience to be an instructor.

"And this is our operator?" Tatsumi turns to the operator in question. The rest of us do too after Brendan and I have shook hands. "Will the wonders never cease, little Teru's all grown up." Tatsumi knew Teruomi from when he was younger? That's something I never expected to hear.

"Hahaha!" Teruomi begins with a laugh. I can't tell if it is because he's nervous or genuinely finds Tatsumi's words funny. "Hey, I'm more surprised than anyone, Tatsumi." The red jacketed man turns back to me.

"You know Haru in the Fourth Unit, yeah?" I nod in response, "Teru here's his kid brother." Tatsumi officially introduces me to Haruomi's younger brother. I don't really know how I didn't see the resemblance Teruomi shares with his brother before. They have similar sounding names and a similar face structure, although one thing is for sure; Teruomi doesn't share Haruomi's perverseness. It doesn't mean that we won't get along though. I'll just need to find some common ground with him as well as the others that I've met today. If I can do that, working towards a Blood Art should be easier for them. "We played together all the time when we were little. The ghetto was still bad, but those guys made it fun." He turns back to Teruomi. "So, Operator Makabe, how's today's mission look?"

"Let's see." The operator replies as he looks at his clipboard. "Well, these were assigned based on the team's aptitude… I'll be sending you on a mission requiring stamina, tactical awareness and teamwork. Should be pretty easy, right?" As the day progresses, I have a feeling that those three requirements as well as others will dwindle for me.

"Got it!" Kanon speaks up happily, raising her hand as well, "If it's a team you need, leave it to me!" Now, I know that I've been training with Kanon, but she isn't exactly a model team player. Which is why, if this were a horror film, some sort of ominous music would be playing at her words.

"Thank you, Kanon," Brendan is quick to respond by turning away from her, "that's… I must say, the Den's combat potential has grown dramatically while we were gone." He speaks to Tatsumi in an attempt to change the subject.

"Yeah, definitely! I mean, hell, even little Erina was really tearing it up out there." Hearing Tatsumi praise Erina gives me a little warmth. I'm proud that she's my student if she gives her all in every fight.

"We don't want them making us look too bad." Brendan comments before his attention is brought back to Kanon. "Speaking of, have you been improving your accuracy, Kanon?"

"Wha—" The only girl with us is startled and perhaps even a little bit upset at Brendan's comment, "O-Of course I have!"

"Wait… really?" Tatsumi doubts, humour evident in his voice.

"Yeah!" Any sadness that she may have felt disappears as she closes her eyes and pretends that she has her God Arc in her hands. "I bet I could hit any target with my eyes closed!" Kanon explains and the three of us, Teruomi excluded since he doesn't know what Kanon is capable of, pretend to back away.

"Hehehe…" Tatsumi nervously laughs. "Yeah, we're mostly worried about which target you'd hit. Y'know, like us."

"Hahaha!" I try to hold back my laughter but fail miserably in doing so. The air just keeps coming out of my mouth and making laughing noises. I never expected Tatsumi to say that; he's got a good sense of humour. Kanon stops pretending and puts her hands on her hips, about to scold Tatsumi, or possibly me for laughing, but Teruomi speaks up first.

"Okay, so is everyone ready for the mission?" We all nod. "Then let's go."

Luckily for me, this mission seems like it will be an easy one. The four of us are up against one Fallen Gboro-Gboro (Blaze) and one Yaksha Raja. Unfortunately for us, Kanon is our support. I haven't been on a mission with her for a while and there's a phrase for situations like this. It's something like for every three days of training, if you don't train on the fourth day then everything it's almost as if you haven't trained for those three days. I think there's a similar case for exercising as well but I can't remember it. The moral of the story is to keep training day by day and you will get better. Hopefully, Kanon's been on missions with other people so her skills don't become rusty. Well, the only way to find out if they have become rusty is to see her in action.

"So, what's the plan, Captain?" Tatsumi asks me. I wasn't even aware I was the Captain for this mission. "Well, we take them out one at a time. That's a definite. If we can do that then the mission will be over pretty quickly, and you will be able to focus on developing Blood Arts as you defeat the Aragami without the need to be wary of any other Aragami that may turn up." I reason with them. Of course, this reason doesn't apply to whichever Aragami we fight first. We need to defeat one Aragami before they can focus on developing their Blood Arts. There shouldn't be any trouble for them. They only need to go on missions with me. For me though, there is the problem of having to go on missions with five people. All of this needs to occur within today and tomorrow, so I need to conserve my energy for all these times. I can see myself playing the support role quite often in these missions to make sure I don't drop from fatigue. However, I will go on the offensive if I need to. "Tatsumi, Brendan, you'll be on the front lines. Kanon and I will provide support. When one f you begins to feel tired just drop back and I'll fill in for you." I'm glad I stocked up on O-Ampules before I left. I'm going to need a lot of them if I'm going to fill in. "We'll fight the Yaksha Raja first. It's hearing abilities are stronger than that of the Gboro-Gboro variant. When we fight the Gboro-Gboro, I'll join you on the frontlines. That's where we'll focus on trying to develop your Blood Arts."

"For something that you've just thought up, that seems like a pretty good plan." Brendan comments in his usual robotic voice.

"The question is, how do we separate the two of them?" Tatsumi's right. The two targets for this mission are within ten metres of each other so we need to find a way to separate them.

"We just need to make sure noise over here and the Yaksha Raja will come running to check it out. If we're lucky, we might get a surprise attack in too." I comment before turning to Kanon. "Kanon,"

"Huh? Yeah?" She didn't expect me to call upon her so early.

"Shoot that giant rock." I point in the direction the rock is in. "It should create a loud noise and our first target should come running over the see what the noise is all about." I explain why she should shoot the rock. I would have done it myself, but then I'd need to use an O-Ampule to get my Oracle Points back to the maximum. Kanon's Arc and other 1st Gen gun users don't have to worry about something like Oracle Points so she can continuously shoot without spending any points. That's probably the only advantage that these God Eaters have over the current generation of God Eaters.

"Okay." She smiles in response and does exactly as I say.

10 minutes later…

"Do you feel a power surging within you?" I stand back from the two melee attackers with Kanon by myside. I told her that we shouldn't help so that they have more of a chance of gaining a Blood Art. Of course, she didn't willingly leave it to the two of them, but a few words convinced her otherwise.

"I feel something but it's not very strong." Tatsumi responds as he hacks away at an almost defeated Gboro-Gboro variant.

"Yes, I too, feel some kind of power developing within me." Brendan responds formally again. I merely sigh at their responses. I was hoping for too much that they'd be well on their way to obtaining a Blood Art.

"It's a start. We'll have to pick this up again later. I need to head to a mission with the other group after this." I reply with another sigh before joining in with the fight. Seeing that I have done so, Kanon does the same. We shoot our bullets towards the Aragami. Some of them narrowly avoid Tatsumi and Brendan. They decide to back off from the beast and let us finish it off. However, they already know that it isn't my bullets they need to watch out for; my bullets are friend or foe bullets that have a different effect depending on whether an Aragami is hit or another God Eater. If an Aragami is hit, it will deal damage, whereas if a God Eater is hit it will heal them and give them a very slight attack boost. Kanon's on the other hand aren't the same as my bullets. Sure, they're Blood Bullets but not FoF bullets like mine. God Eaters will still get damaged if Kanon's bullets hit them. Finally, the beast falls to the ground and Brendan extracts its core. We call for Hibari to pick us up, and ten minutes later, the helicopter and Urara arrives on it. It turns out that Karel, Shun and Gina are already waiting at the mission area, and Urara had to wait for me to be finished with this mission. This helicopter will drop the two of us off before returning to the branch with Tatsumi, Brendan and Kanon. I can only hope that the others are quicker in learning a Blood Art. All of this pressure to make five people learn their Blood Arts by the end of tomorrow is killing me. Sure, it isn't even half way through the day yet, but I can't stop worrying about it. How the hell am I supposed to help these people learn a Blood Art if I don't feel close to them? That's what the real problem here is. The chances of developing a Blood Art are very high in people that I feel close to. That's why it takes a while to learn a Blood Art.

"This mission still seems impossible." I mutter under my breath to make sure that nobody heard it. I look out of the window where the Abandoned City comes into sight. The area of my next mission.


	94. Chapter 94 - Introductory Mission- KSGU

Chapter 94

DISCLAIMER: I DO NOT OWN THE GOD EATER FRANCHISE HOWEVER I DO OWN MY OC.

Also, please leave a review!

Name: Cedrick Esparza  
Gender: Male  
Hairstyle: Style 7 (Dark Brown) 

"Just so I can mentally prepare," I began as the Urara and I begin walking to the mission zone where we will meet Karel, Shun and Gina. Urara stiffens up at my voice, becoming very alert. This girl is too jumpy. "what Aragami are we fighting against?" I continue in the same tired tone. It's not so much that I am tired. It's more like I just can't believe what I have to do by the end of tomorrow.

"Well, uh…" The girl accompanying me checks the paper attached to her clip board, hurrying through it and quickly scanning her eyes across the documents. "Let me check…" Her voice shakes and I barely hold back a sigh. I stop walking but Urara continues.

"Listen, Urara," I grab her attention again by placing a hand on her shoulder just before she can get out of my arm's reach and she jumps, her eyes lock onto mine before they begin to drift downwards. "You can't be so nervous." She doesn't raise her head at all.

"I'm trying my best." She mumbles into her chest. It almost looks as though I'm scolding her.

"In the end, Urara, that's all I can ask for…" I mean, it really is, "but your abilities can be hindered by nervousness. You may have the talent to be an operator, but if you can't control your nervousness, you won't be able to do your job properly." I can tell my words are falling on deaf ears but for some reason, getting that off of my chest is making me feel a little bit better about this situation. I feel like I'm getting closer to Urara by doing this, although it is very much the same type of relationship I share with Kanon and Erina; a teacher-student relationship. Now if only I can do the same with the people with whom it actually counts.

We continue walking for another five minutes before we get to a block in the path. It looks as though there has been a landslide as numerous rocks separate us from the otherside.

"We're going to have to climb over it." I walk towards the rocks with a 'let's get the job done' attitude.

"Huh?" I ignore Urara's confusion. "Hey, wait!" I turn towards the girl, curious as to why she told me to stop. I make my curiousness known on my face. "I'm not very good at climbing." She looks sheepishly at me.

"Then I'll help you. Just follow where I go." Truth be told, I'm not amazing at climbing either, but we're only climbing over a few rocks. That's it. We're not going to get terribly injured if we fall from them. Besides, they look sturdy enough that they can hold our weight.

"Right…" She mumbles and follows behind me. I climb onto the first rock with ease. Its flat surface allowing for us to stand easily.

"We just need to find more rocks that have a flat surface like this." I inform Urara although I'm sure she knew. After a few glances at the rocks, the next one with a flat surface is about two metres up from where we are. "It's going to take a bit of climbing to get to this one." Urara remains silent. I'm glad she's not complaining, although I expected a bit of sound to come from her. You know, like a conversation starter. With a small bit of climbing, we manage to get to a rock on the same level as us that has easier access to our target rock. I jump onto the rock next to us. "Don't get on yet." I tell her as she puts her hands onto the tilted surface of the rock I'm standing on. With a jump and a grunt, I climb onto the target rock before turning to face Urara. "Your turn." She struggles onto the tilted surface of the first rock and her legs begin to wobble. I offer Urara my hand and she takes it, keeping her steady on the rock. Once she is steady, I begin to pull her up, grabbing her other hand as it nears. Surprisingly, the girl doesn't weigh a lot, so it's easier than I thought it would be to pull her up.

"Thanks." She says, a little out of breath.

"Now we just need to work our way down." I look at the rocks below us as I try to figure out our descending route. As I do so, I see three figures in the distance. "We're almost there." I stretch out my finger towards the three figures. "There's the rest of our team." I look to Urara as she hunches over her legs with her hands on her knees, trying to regain her breath. I look at the rock formation again and determine the best route would just be straight down from where we are. I walk gingerly on a steep slope before almost jumping onto a flatter surface below. I turn back to Urara who attempts the same thing as me. She holds her hand out as well. I assume for me to take it, and I do so. She continues to walk down very slowly but she eventually slips, sliding down the rock. As she does so, her arm that I'm holding begins to pull back. I decide to pull on her arm to stop her head from hitting the rock as she falls. The result is that she now stands about 30cm in front of me. She bows as thanks.

"They're here." I hear a voice call out from one of the three individuals that are waiting for us. So instead of trying to climb down the rest of the rocks, I take Urara into a bridal carry and jump down instead. Of course, she doesn't expect me to do that so she gasps as soon as I take her into my hold, but I don't give her time to complain as I jump from the rock. As soon as we're back on the ground, I release her from my grip; making sure that her feet are on the ground before I do so. I see that green jacket boy also jump from where he was sitting as Urara and I walk over to the group.

"You sure took your time, huh?" He speaks up, still in the landing position before eventually standing up. "We almost gave up on ya!" I have a perfectly logicaly retort at the ready, something like you need me if you want to learn a Blood Art so you can't give up on me, but I choose not to say it. A good friendship is needed to learn a Blood Art, and my retort wouldn't really start a good friendship.

"Well, now that everyone's arrived," The man in the pink shirt speaks up as he curls his blonde hair slightly, "why don't we introduce ourselves? I'll go first…" He continues, taking charge of the group. "Karel Schneider, God Eater of the Satellite Defence Unit." The man in the pink shirt introduces himself. "Our current orders are to scout for new sites for satellite bases. We keep the frontier secure." He also introduces his unit's purpose. "The obnoxious brat is Shun Ogawa." He points to the man in the green hooded jacket who does a double take at Karel's words. "And the moody chick is Gina Dickinson." Karel gives the name of the silver haired woman as well.

"Hey! Who do you think you're calling a brat!" It was more of an exclamation than a question. "If anyone's a brat here, it's him." Shun points at me and I merely sigh at his words. Karel was right, he is a brat.

"Uh-huh, yeah thanks for that." Karel quickly brushes him off and I can't help but smile at the exchange. "So, like I said, Shun's the brat."

"Hey!" Shun protests again.

"Hehehe!" The woman giggles, bringing my attention to her. "Hello there, I'm Gina Dickinson. A pleasure to meet you." She introduces herself. Her words seem polite, but there's something about the tone of her voice I just can't trust.

"Tch! Whatever." The green jacketed boy speaks up again. "Shun Ogawa. Okay? Look, I don't care if you were some elite. Don't go acting like you're better than we are!" Yeah, he's the brat.

"… So," Karel speaks up, turning his attention to the operator beside me. "If this mission doesn't pay out, we're out." Urara gasps at his words.

"Yeah! We don't take any missions that are a waste of our epic skills! And don't you forget it." Shun obnoxiously chips in.

"O-Okay!" I can already hear the nervousness in Urara's voice and she's only said one word since we've got here. Come to think of it, I thought she'd say something about the fact that I picked her up and jumped off of the rocks with her. She hasn't said anything though. The girl looks at her Fenrir clipboard. "According to our records, your unit mostly scouts sites that are far away from the Den. It's really dangerous out in the wilds." She pauses. "But, I guess at least, you're used to encountering new species of Aragami all the time. Right?" Wait, did Urara just try and make a joke? Why didn't she do that for me?! I mean, it wasn't a funny joke, but at least it's something. I sigh again. From the corner of my eye, I see Urara glance towards me. I can see a hint of more than nervousness in her eyes. It may be worry. Does she think I'm sighing because of her? I barely manage to hold back another sigh. I should stop sighing if it means that people think I'm sighing because of them. "So, I'd like you to please go on a mission that focuses on Aragami with high monetary reward?" Her voice trails upwards and makes her statement sound more like a question.

"Heh. Music to my ears." Karel speaks up. I've only just noticed, but his face seems to be stuck in a glare. Maybe that's why he doesn't seem very approachable.

"Aragami with a big bounty, huh? Oh yeah! I'll take 'em all on!" Shun chips in happily. I suppose what makes him unapproachable is his bratty behaviour.

"It's unfortunate the only ones you'll have to take on are the weaklings I leave for you." Karel stirs up a contest.

"You'll be snacking on those words soon, Karel!"

"So, I understand the Blood Captain is to accompany us on this mission, hm?" Gina speaks up in an unapproachable tone. I can't quite identify what makes it so unapproachable though.

"No, Gina. I'm just here for a laugh." I feel like saying to her but I stop myself from doing so. Why else would I be here, after all? Weren't you told that this would be an introductory mission for me to get to know you all?

"Ah, y-yes." Urara responds a little less nervously.

"Well you two little boys can stop your bickering then." Gina doesn't even look at Karel and Shun as she speaks, although she does slightly tilt her head towards them. "Odds are good that the lion's share will go to the Captain here." She smiles as she speaks. She must enjoy teasing the two of them.

"I wouldn't bet on it. This hunter always gets his prey." Karel refutes in his usual tone.

"Not a chance!" The brat points his finger at me. "There ain't no way you'll top me!"

"Enough is enough. We've heard the boasts, so let's go out and get the beasts." Gina speaks up in her usual tone. "I can't wait." Ah, wait a minute, is she a sadist? My eyes widen at my realisation. How did it take so long for me to notice? Sadism is what coats her voice. That's what I couldn't identify.

"Um… Captain?" I hear Urara's voice from beside me which snaps me out of my thoughts. "Sh-shouldn't you… um… join them?" I turn towards where the other three were and see that they're no longer there.

"You know where you need to stay, right?" I turn back to Urara. It's clear that I need to get a move on to fight these beasts, but I need to know that Urara will be safe.

"Y-Yes. Up here, right?" She means the ledge that we're standing on now. It's not exactly the safest place to be, but it is relatively safe. I merely give a nod before jumping from the ledge and running to my team mates who have already engaged with the Aragami.

Instead of taking a few shots at the Aragami like I usually would do, I decide to charge straight forwards with my Melee Form God Arc at my side; the reason being that there are already two Gun Form users while Shun is the only God Eater that has a Melee Form God Arc. Thus, to even the numbers, I will partner up with Shun for the time being. Our enemy will require a lot of hard work to defeat. After all, Hannibals can be very difficult if they're not taken care of in the right way; basically break every bond apart from the one on its back. The Aragami will have more powerful attacks if its scale is broken. I relentlessly swipe at its left arm, occasionally backtracking when I need to avoid an attack. Without its shield, attached to its left arm, it should be easier to inflict damage to the beast.

"Chill, dude." I hear Karel speak up. "Your job is decoy. Lead the enemy out here and I'll handle the damage dealing." I choose to ignore Karel's instructions and instead move to face the Aragami head on – only after avoiding a swirling inferno that it tries to start from beneath me.

"No freakin' way!" Shun retaliates. I guess Karel was directing his words to him then. "You just wanna hog all the glory for yourself you… you… glory hog!" Shun fails to insult Karel. "Oh, and by the way, jokes are meant to be funny." He continues as he knew his last comment didn't hold up.

"And I suppose you think you're good enough to take that beast down." Karel simply retorts with no effort into his speech. Are these guys like this all the time? I'll definitely need to work with these guys separately if they want to have a Blood Art or use Blood Bullets.

"Uh, yeah!" Shun keeps the argument flowing as he narrowly avoids the Hannibal landing near him with a huge spear pointing to the ground. I run to the beast and continue my onslaught on its tail this time. "I could kill that monster way faster than you and your stupid… pink… jacket-thing!" Shun is awful at comebacks.

"Let's finish this up!" I shout to my team mates and sure enough, with several more hits, the beast falls to the ground in an unmoving heap. I quickly extract its core to the disdain of Shun and Karel before speaking up. With that, the mission is finished. And now, I need to work with these guys individually to let them have more of a chance of developing a Blood Art or Blood Bullets. I turn to look at my team, who do I choose first? It doesn't have to be just these guys, Tatsumi and Brendan also need to train. So, my options are Brendan, Tatsumi, Karel, Shun or Gina? Who should be first?


	95. Chapter 95 - Karel

Chapter 95

DISCLAIMER: I DO NOT OWN THE GOD EATER FRANCHISE HOWEVER I DO OWN MY OC.

Also, please leave a review!

Name: Cedrick Esparza  
Gender: Male  
Hairstyle: Style 7 (Dark Brown)  
God Arc: Blazing Maiden II (Short Blade), F-BF Shot (Blast Gun), Kurogane Tower A (Shield)

By the time the mission had finished it was dinner time, so we decided to head back to the Branch for a dinner break. Although for me, it isn't much of a break. Now that the introductory missions have been completed, I'll need to work with each of the five members of the defence unit individually. The question is, who do I start with? In terms of ability, I know that Brendan and Tatsumi said they were beginning to feel their Blood Power flowing through them, but I never asked that of Gina, Shun or Karel. I think that Gina would have at least that she had felt something if we were making progress. That means the latter three have made no progress at all in learning a Blood Art or being able to use Blood Bullets. I think we'll have to start with one of those three. I finish off the rest of a bowl of soup, a cheap bowl made by Mutsumi and head out of the lounge. The Defence Unit had decided to eat in the cafeteria since they hadn't been back at the Den for a while and missed the awful taste and texture of the gloop served in the cafeteria. Whichever person I see first out of Gina, Karel and Shun, that's who I'll start with.

To my surprise, although I don't know why I should have been surprised, the three options are sat with each other waiting in front of the Den's gate. Most likely waiting for me to finish my dinner break and start working with them on developing their Blood abilities. Anyway, since they're together, I can't really go with my plan of working with the first person I see. I'm going to need to think harder about this. Gina seems to be a hard-working girl who is eager to defeat Aragami in battle. She isn't motivated by money, like the other two, rather she is motivated by the thrill of the fight. She's also sadistic and right now, I don't think I can handle hearing her sadistic voice for most of the day. I aim to be able to allow all of these three to get the Blood ability by the end of the day, but she can wait. I'm not taking her first. Shun, the brat as I otherwise see him, is motivated by money and has an attitude problem. He does seem excitable though which reminds me of Romeo. For that reason, I don't particularly want to work with him yet either. Karel, on the other hand, doesn't really act like a brat but more of a stuck-up money-grubbing aristocrat that thinks everything is a business. I can tolerate his behaviour, but only just. His God Arc is a gun so it would be able to provide support in most missions, but judging by his behaviour he probably doesn't even use healing bullets or healing items. I sigh and don't bother to supress it. These three really are the worst kinds of people. In the end, I can't pick and just head over to them, hiding my disappointment under a smiling face.

"There he is." Gina announces my arrival in her sadistic voice which may have been even more sadistic than I heard earlier. I inwardly grimace. No matter what, I'm not going on a mission with her first.

"It's about time." The brat, I mean Shun speaks up in an impatient manner.

"Y'know, I've been thinking." Karel joins with an obnoxious voice. We all turn to look at him as he continues, "I use an assault gun. And 1st-gen God Eaters don't have adjustable God Arcs. That means I have to choose long or close range." He sits on the couch in a very relaxed style, his arms sprawled across the back and his head facing towards the ceiling. "Blood Arts are for close combat, right?" He looks at me and I nod my head. "What's the point of me learning them? It'd just be a waste of time. You get that, right?" I thought he would have known that he couldn't learn a Blood Art and that we're trying to get him to learn how to use Blood Bullets. I guess he didn't know that.

"I'll tell Sakaki that you're out then." I tell him with an honest smile. It makes my job a little bit easier if he chooses to drop out. I'll have more time to work with the other two. Honestly though, I was thinking that Karel would be the best choice to start off with. At my words, Karel quickly changes position, leaning forwards on his knees and a hand in the air directed towards me in a 'stop' motion.

"Hey! Hang on a sec!" He doesn't want to drop out now? "I was just kidding." I peer into his face and he actually looks slightly apologetic but I can also see a hint of annoyance in his features. He was annoyed that I didn't get his joke? I should be annoyed that it was a joke! "Aren't there those things… Blood Bullets, was it?" So he did know about them? What's the point in this conversation then? Was this whole thing just so he can say a joke? Is this his attempt to get closer to me so that he can learn how to use Blood Bullets? I only just manage to stop myself from sighing. I guess he does want to learn how to use them after all. "I could kill a psion if I had some of those." He looks at me incredulously. "Did you really think I'd pass up this opportunity?" He reclines back into his seat. "Time is money. Let's go on a mission." This time, I don't supress my sigh.

"We'll start with you then, Karel. By the time we're finished, you should be able to use Blood Bullets." I inform him and the others. Karel merely smiles mockingly. There may also be a hint of malice in that smile.

"Can I go next? I can't wait to see you in action." Gina enquires in what I think is her attempt to seduce me in a sultry, yet sadistic voice. She's definitely not my type of woman. I do like how she's not afraid to show some skin though, and that eyepatch means that we have something in common. I'll ask her about it when we're on our missions.

"Sure." I reply half-heartedly.

"I'm last? No way should-"

"Shut up, brat." I reprimand Shun for speaking out of turn. I really can't deal with brats like him. The only reason I'm tolerating him is because he reminds me of Romeo. Gina giggles at my words. I'm pretty sure Karel and Shun are just too shocked to speak up about my fed up tone of voice that I used with Shun.

"Let's get started." I look to Karel and try to speak in my usual happy voice.

We meet on the roof where a helicopter is waiting for us.

"So, it's just the two of us?" Karel asks me in an unusually excited tone. He must want to learn how to use Blood Bullets very quickly. I merely nod at his words. "I'm going to go ahead and tell you this upfront. I have no interest in this defensive-whatever. I'm here to master Blood Bullets, fight more efficiently, and make some money doing it. Let's get going, shall we?" He walks towards the helicopter that is almost ready for take-off; it's just waiting for us two. "I'll be studying your every move." For some reason, Karel's voice gives me shivers. I know that people often watch my battle style so that they can learn about Blood Arts, but hearing Karel say that is just unnerving. Regardless, I walk after him and get onto the helicopter without complaint.

We arrive at the Sunken Grid earlier than we expected, but that just means that we have more time to plan what we are going to do.

"Since you're a long-range fighter," I speak to Karel, being cautious of using the correct words with him, "it would be a good idea for you to stand on top of the large structure at Point D. I'll act as bait and draw the Borg Camlann variant towards us." I explain my plan to Karel as we walk towards Point D. Our opponents for this mission are a Spark-Variant Borg Camlann that is already in the area as well as a Fierce Kongou that will be moving through here shortly.

"Good. You know your place. Bait." I have some strange feeling that this is another one of his jokes, but I disregard it anyway. I should be more focused on the Aragami that we'll be fighting against. This is going to be the first time I'm solo-melee-fighting against a Borg Camlann since I tried to cheer Nana up after Romeo's death. That's not the worst part either, if we haven't defeated the scorpion-type Aragami by the time the Fierce Kongou arrives, then this mission will have gotten a hell of a lot harder. Both Aragami have multiple short range and long range attacks. What's worse is that there may be 100 metres separating you and the Aragami, and that is suddenly shortened by attacks like the Kongou's ability to roll or the Borg Camlann's ability to charge towards a person with its tail leading the way. Fighting the two of these with just us two is a very big risk, but the bigger the risk, the more likely a person is to develop a Blood Art, or in this case, Blood Bullets. That may also be the reason why it has taken so long for others to learn how to use a Blood Art and Bullets. We've been fighting against much tamer opponents than our current opponents, so we don't really push ourselves to do better. I watch as Karel jumps onto the tell structure.

"You ready?" I ask him from my position on the ground. The structure must be at least five metres tall. It's definitely taller than the Aragami that we're fighting so he should be safe against mostly all of their attacks apart from projectiles and beams. I'm sure he knows this though. He's been a God Eater for a long time so I'm sure he can handle dodging those attacks. As for me, I'm just going to have to go all out. The two of us can't stand on a platform like that. We'd easily get surrounded. Besides, I'm relying on Karel's ability as a God Eater for us both to survive. I nervously gulp. I haven't been this discouraged for a long time.

"Are you?" Karel shouts back. I give him a thumbs up before cautiously walking around to where the Borg Camlann can be heard. Eventually, I can't see Karel as I walk around the corner and head to point H.

"Found it yet?" I hear the impatient Karel speak through my earpiece. I also hear the movement of many pointy legs hitting the ground. I take a look around the corner into the centre of the abandoned factory. What I see is something that I hope isn't foretelling how the fight will go. I see the Borg Camlann bringing its tail down into the midriff of a Varjatail. Nearby is another Vajratail that must have met the same fate. As soon as the Vajratail is killed, I convert my Arc to Gun Form and fire several bullets at the exposed Borg Camlann. I quickly change my Arc back to Melee Form as I ignore the larger Aragami's scream of pain. It doesn't look like my bullets did a lot of damage, but they must have done something to make the Aragami scream like that. It is probably just a scream of surprise. The monster faces me before roaring and placing its tail in front of its head. This is exactly the type of attack I was talking about earlier. It charges towards me and I run around the corner and had back to where Karel is, making sure that I bring the Borg Camlann with me who was stopped charging and is instead scurrying towards me.

"I've found it." I speak to Karel while looking over my shoulder to check if the Aragami is still following or readying an attack. Unfortunately, it is doing the latter, and I narrowly avoid being hit by multiple projectiles by side stepping three times just as they're about to hit.

"Uh… Kongou arrival imminent. ETA: 30 seconds." I hear Urara from my earpiece. Instead of bringing her with us, I let her stay at the Den where it would be a lot safer. I asked her if she could be the operator for this mission, so she could get used to me, as well as the fact that it is rather nice to have an attractive girl looking out for my welfare. A pain strikes my heart. This is what I could have had with Ciel if she didn't turn me down. Come to think of it, we've just sort of forgotten that event, haven't we? I guess neither of us wants to talk about it. Still, she should be honoured that she is the first person I ever fell in love with. I guess I'll have to find a replacement for her. I'd love to have a woman of my own.

"Look out!" Karel's shout brings me out of my rousing as the Borg Camlann slams its tail down multiple times in different directions, sending strikes of electricity up to ten metres away from it. I luckily manage to avoid them by jumping out of their path. I quickly get back to my feet and run towards the beast, taking a few slashes of its tail that is stuck in the ground before moving my target to its shield. If its shield is destroyed, then it will be harder for the Aragami to block attacks. Thus, taking more damage. I realise as I'm slashing though that my Arc doesn't do a lot of damage to the beast. I grunt in frustration, backstepping and deploying my shield to avoid the scorpion-Aragami's swinging tail attack. Its momentum forces me backwards several feet, but as soon as its tail stops, I run back over to the beast and continue swinging my short blade. Suddenly, the ground shakes as if something has impacted against it. It definitely isn't the Borg Camlann as it only just falls to the ground in a tired heap; still not dead yet. That means there's only one thing it can be.

"The Fierce Kongou has arrived!" Urara announces in a panic. "It's positioned at Point B." She says, still with the nervousness she had during the earlier mission. "You should probably finish off the Borg Camlann…" Her voice trails off. She probably realised that we know what we need to do. I decide to let my Arc devour the Aragami before changing my Arc to Gun Form and transferring the Aragami bullet to Karel to make him enter burst mode.

"It's not a Blood Bullet, I'm just giving you a power boost through burst." I announce plainly, quick to rain on his parade, in case he thought that he was experiencing the awakening of his Blood Bullet usage.

"I know what burst is." He replies with no hint of emotion in his voice. I keep slashing the shield of the downed Aragami in front of me when I hear another roar. My attention is turned to it and I see that the Fierce Kongou has noticed us.

"Shit." I mumble since the Borg Camlann still hasn't been defeated. This is just going to get a lot harder.

Five minutes later and the Borg Camlann still hasn't taken its last breath. Even worse is the fact that we have to constantly watch out for the Fierce Kongou; me more than Karel. I can't help but think that if he had Blood Bullets, the Borg Camlann would have died by now. I easily avoid an impending injury as I deploy my shield as the Fierce Kongou charges towards me within a ball of electricity. However, my fears can't be dismissed yet as several projectiles are launched at me courtesy of the Borg Camlann. My only choice is to keep my shield deployed, but now I'm right in front of the Kongou, unable to do anything except keeping my shield up to avoid any harm coming to me. I jump up to make the projectiles hit my shield, knocking me back several feet with each missile and taking me further away from the face of the golden ape.

"Can you hurry up and kill that thing yet?! It's hard to hold off two of them!" I shout to Karel, a bit of panic lacing my voice, with no regard for whether he can hear me through his earpiece.

"You keep getting in the way!" He shouts back at me and I see he's going to be no help at all. I clench my teeth in frustration. If you want something done, it's better to do it yourself. I easily avoid a charging attack from the Borg Camlann by sidestepping the once, keeping my arc held out to the side to slash at the Aragami's legs as it passes. I couldn't have been any luckier with my attack as the momentum from the charging Aragami causes its right legs to impact against my sharp long blade and cuts them off, making the beast fall to its side; its equilibrium being damaged. Before I can focus my attention on the Borg Camlann that's struggling to get up, I return my attention to the Fierce Kongou. It, like the Fierce Kongou, charges towards me. This time though, if I leave my arc out to the side, there's a lot more that can go wrong with it this time. So, I force myself to deploy my shield; unable to think of a way to damage the Aragami as it charges. The beast barrels into my shield and forces me back several metres. As soon as it uncoils from its ball, I immediately slash its face with enough power to make it backup onto its arse. I quickly turn my attention to the Borg Camlann that is struggling to stand but can still make an attack. I duck under its swinging tail before firing multiple shots at the exposed skin that formed after the legs were cut off. The monster doesn't move afterwards. I look back towards the Kongou and see it only just get to its feet. I charge towards it this time and slash at its face another few times before backtracking and deploying my shield to avoid its AOE electrical attack. As soon as it finishes it, I go back on the attack, swiping again at its face before switch my Arc to Gun Form and firing the mortars directly at its face. With one final breath, the beast falls to the ground. I don't give myself time to breathe as I quickly extract its core before moving to the Borg Camlann and doing the same thing. Now, I breathe.

I hear Karel drop down beside me and I correct my posture, only now realising I was holding my knees and breathing pretty hard.

"Well, do you feel as though you've learned Blood Bullets yet?" I ask him as he approaches.

"I feel as though I'm getting closer." He states the progress being made.

"If we go on another mission, I'm sure you'll feel it." I inform him, regaining my breath now.

"Ciel told me Blood Bullets develop more the more you use your gun. That means I'll get them faster if we go on more missions, right?" I nod, as he repeats what I said only in a different way. "Then I guess we're going on another mission." He smiles smugly. "When we get back to the Den, I'll check to see which missions are available. If we get another high paying mission like this one, then I'm sure that it'll be worth it." He calls for a helicopter to pick us up and as he does so, all I can think about is how I need a drink to revitalise myself. I think I'll bring one with me for our next mission. If it's going to be as hard as this one was, I'll definitely need it.

And so, one hour later, we find ourselves on the battlefield again. Only this time, our opponents are a lot tougher. The Type 1 Deusphage Susano'o as well as a Corrosive Hannibal. I'm really glad I brought a drink with me for this one. I've got a feeling I'm going to need it. Karel informed me beforehand about our opponents, so I have had the opportunity to prepare. For this battle, I don't think my regular God Arc will be enough. So, I decided I had to change my Arc's type. I went for a Long Blade type to add raw power to my move. However, as soon as I was able to use it, I could feel the weight difference compared to the usual Short Blade I used. It's definitely not as nimble a weapon that I'm used to, so I'm going to have to change my strategy to match my new arc. There's also another disadvantage, I'm not exactly sure what this arc is capable of. Thus, I don't have a Blood Art with it. I just hope this doesn't prevent Karel from progressing with his Blood Bullets. I also changed the Gun Form of my arc to something more suiting of this fight. It's still an a blast gun, but it gets an additional boost for firing bullets that are Blaze or Freeze; speaking of advantages, my Long Blade has an advantage against Aragami that are weak to Spark and Divine. Our opponents are weak to these attributes, so it should be easier to kill them, plus the advantage of having a bigger weapon.

God Arc: Mechblade Leviathan (Long Blade), F-SD Shot (Blast Gun), Kurogane Tower B (Tower Shield)

"I've got to say," I stop as Karel begins speaking. "From what I've seen, I don't think you can handle a Long Blade." He remarks without even a hint that he might be joking. "You should have just stuck with your Short Blade."

"It wasn't powerful enough. I'll manage with this, I just need to change my strategy slightly." I allay his fears.

"Suit yourself." He brushes off my own comment and we resume walking. "What's the plan this time?"

"Close combat." I reply easily before I go into further detail. "We can't do what we did earlier. There are no tall structures or platforms in the City of Mercy like there are in the Sunken Grid. So, I'm going to lead the attack and you do what you've been doing, but at a closer range."

"Alright." He merely accepts, I can imagine that he has a scowl on his face that it won't be as easy as the previous mission was. In fact, it seems as though that scowl is always on his face.

"When we find one of our targets, we don't let it move from that area. We don't want the other Aragami to hear us. None of our targets have particularly good hearing, so we should be able to fight two-on-one with them. That's our advantage." I explain my plan before lifting my Long Blade Arc a few times. I've probably got a combo of about three with this arc before I need to take a step back. We walk for a couple of minutes and enter Point N. We immediately hear scuffles coming from the next room over. I give Karel the signal to wait and I slowly creep up to the hole in the wall that separates the two points of N and L. Through the hole, I see the Corrosive Hannibal in the corner of the area. I lift up one finger to signal to Karel 'Target 1'. Before engaging with the target, I decide to deploy a paralysis trap. Then I change my Arc to Gun Form and fire several Freeze bullets at the Aragami. It, like the Borg Camlann earlier, screams in surprise at my attack and despite these bullets being a direct hit, they don't appear to do much damage. As the beast looks in my direction, I change my Arc back to its Melee Form. My arc sways slightly as I stop it from hitting the ground. It requires a bit more energy to hold up than the Short Blade I've always used before, but I know it's a lot more effective against the beast. As if to prove it, as the Corrosive Hannibal charges in my direction, it's arms extended to its sides, I don't deploy my shield but let the beast charge into my heavy arc which succeeds in leaving its mark on the beast.

Within no time at all, the Corrosive Hannibal as well as the Susano'o are swiftly defeated without us breaking much of a sweat. It's a lot easier to fight tough Aragami one at a time rather than grouping up with other tough Aragami. I take a well-deserved drink as the two of us wait for the helicopter to arrive.

"It appears the rumours are true. Very impressive." I look at Karel in surprise as he speaks. I never expected to be praised by him. It feels very strange. Almost as if he's after something. "You must be making quite the profit." He casually remarks. I forgot that everything revolves around money for him and Shun.

"I do well enough." I reply to his conversation starter. I don't really spend a lot of the money I earn. When I do spend money, it's always on food. The last time I went on a spending spree was when I was shopping with Haruomi, before I decided to ask Ciel out. Maybe I was just put off of buying things for other people after that. All of those items went to waste. One was even crushed.

"Hm. Good answer. Of course, I make more money." He casually remarks. "It's still not enough though." He looks towards the sky. At that moment, we both hear a strange sound. "Huh?" He rummages around in his pocket and pulls out a phone. He stares at it for a few seconds. "Tsk… Stop worrying about idiotic things like that." He speaks aloud before he begins typing on the phone. He must have received a message, but from who? Karel notices me staring at him and stops typing on his phone. "Ah, sorry. I'm just talking to myself. Point being," He gets back to the topic in hand. "We should work together in the future. I think we'd do quite well." That's a surprise again. He must feel as though he's getting closer to me, although he hasn't mentioned anything about using Blood Bullets. He finishes typing on his phone and looks at me again. "Things will be tough for you, going through the same thing with every member of the Defence Unit. If you don't mind me asking, how much extra pay are you getting for all of this?"

"You mean I could be getting extra?" He looks at me incredulously as I respond to his surprising question.

"Don't tell me you're doing it for free!" It's his turn to be surprised this time. "Anyway, we should go for another mission." He changes the topic quickly. "I'm sure that I'm able to use Blood Bullets now. The next mission should be against a psion." He smiles almost sadistically, "That's sure to bring in some more money."

"It's a good idea in theory, but we should make sure that we're not the only ones to fight it." A battle against a psion with just the two of us won't go very well. "We should make sure that at least Shun and Gina are capable of using their Blood abilities too." Karel grimaces at my logic.

"Tsk… it's your loss." I'm sure he means that may pay will be halved, but I'm not too sure. Either way, Karel can use Blood Bullets now, so it's time to work with either Shun or Gina.

A/N: In this playthrough that I am doing with Cedrick, the mission against the Fallen Borg Camlann and Fierce Kongou is the first one I lost in. The next mission with the Susano'o and Corrosive Hannibal was surprisingly easy despite choosing a Long Blade God Arc – my first time using one and thus I didn't have a Blood Art.


	96. Chapter 96 - Shun learns a Blood Art

Chapter 96

DISCLAIMER: I DO NOT OWN THE GOD EATER FRANCHISE HOWEVER I DO OWN MY OC.

Also, please leave a review!

Name: Cedrick Esparza  
Gender: Male  
Hairstyle: Style 7 (Dark Brown)  
God Arc: Mechblade Vidofnir (Long Blade), F-SD Shot (Blast Gun), Kurogane Tower B (Tower Shield)  
Blood Art: Misty Moon II 

Karel and I arrive back at the Den at 14:00. There's eight hours of the day left, and I still need to teach Gina and Shun how to use Blood Bullets or a Blood Art. There's no time to waste as I approach the next one I'll help.

"Shun," I speak up to grab his attention. "You're a lucky guy, I've picked you to master a Blood Art next." I humorously comment. I still don't feel like dealing with Gina's sadistic voice. I have a feeling that something about her will bring out the worst in me; it's even scarier to think that I need to get closer to her to help her learn how to use Blood Bullets. Thus, it's probably easier to start with Shun. At least if I can get closer to him, he won't be as bratty.

"I guess you're captain of Blood or whatever," He's not even trying to hide his bratty behaviour. "But I've built up a career too – in the Defence Unit. I'm hanging out with you 'cause I wanna learn Blood Arts, but in battle, I call the shots." I have a feeling that it might take some time before Shun gets a Blood Art. I guess I'm just going to have to learn to tolerate it. I can't wait until tomorrow when I can deal with Tatsumi and Brendan. They're definitely going to be a lot easier to teach and get along with.

"That worries me." I decide to stick with the humour pathway of getting closer to Shun. If we can have friendly digs at each other, then I don't mind his bratty personality; just as long as neither of us takes it too far.

"Wh-why you-?!" He recoils in shock. "Hmph, whatever. I'll prove I'm better than you on the battlefield." Shun regains his demeanour. "You need battle experience to learn Blood Arts, right? So, let's get going." I nod my head to Shun, informing him that I'm ready to fight. "I'll go get us a mission sorted." Shun smiles cockily and thumb to his own chest. "Because I'm the leader." He then marches towards the operator's desk while I wait at the Den's gate.

A couple of minutes pass before Shun ascends the steps, a not so happy look on his face.

"Man, I can't believe this! Have you heard about our target? It's weak!" No Shun, you haven't told me what we'll be facing yet. If you think it's weak though, then it must be pretty weak. "Seriously, annoying! What a freaking waste!" He's definitely not too happy about our target. I still don't know what it is though. "Damn. I only said I'd go 'cause they were like, 'Oh, it's such a good mission!' Psh… Liars. Nnngh! I'm not feeling it today." He finishes his complaints before going silent.

"Well, you're not going to learn a Blood Art by just standing around." I try to cheer him up. "Let's hurry up and kill this thing and then choose another, higher paying mission, yeah?"

"Hm… you're probably right." He simply comments, surprising me that he isn't always a brat. "Okay, let's go." He gives me the nod and we head up to the roof. On the way there, I manage to find out that we're against an Aragami called an Amaterasu on Aegis Island. I've never fought against something called an Amaterasu before, so maybe it is a good idea to let Shun be in charge of this one.

When we get to Aegis Island, we instantly see our target moving around. It would be hard not to see our target really. It looks like an Ouroboros variant. It's back is turned towards us at the minute, so it still hasn't seen us.

"What's the plan then, boss?" I comically ask Shun.

"Just slice and dice at its arms." He looks at me as if he's done tis a million times before. "And watch out for its attacks."

"The same attack patterns as an Ouroboros?" I ask him to confirm everything. After all, I haven't faced an Aragami like this, so I need to know what attacks to expect.

"Yeah, pretty much. It's a weak Aragami anyway. We'll probably kill it in ten minutes at the most." He boasts confidently. I have to say, he does have some good qualities expected of a leader. The confidence of one being his best feature. I nod towards him and we run towards the beast. I decide to run to the left while Shun runs to the right of the Amaterasu. As I approach its legs, I start hacking away at its tree-trunk-like arms. The Aragami takes immediate attention to our attacks, and it turns in my direction. I have to backstep a couple of times to avoid being trampled but as I get a good look at the front of the beast, I notice something swinging in the chest area.

"Are those tits?!" I can't help but shout as the sacks of fat coming from the chest of the beast swing for all to see.

"Don't get distracted! It's an Aragami, remember?" Shun shouts but I can't take my eyes off of the massive tits in front of me. I don't know whether to be in awe at their size or upset that the first pair of tits that I've seen belong to an Aragami. One thing is for sure though, even for me, those tits are just too big. So much so that a person could be crushed under just one of them.

"It's jumping!" Shun warns me, and my thoughts of being crushed by those tits almost happen, but I manage to dodge in time to avoid my death.

Ten minutes later, the Amaterasu falls to the ground in an unmoving heap. Shun extracts its core while I devour the monster to obtain some rare materials.

"Two-person missions're a crappy way to earn anything. At least the loot's only split two ways. It makes it harder to catch the Aragami. You have to fight 'em kinda differently." Shun speaks up, his God Arc resting on his shoulder.

"You just have to get used to it." I respond to his musings, continuing to devour the target to obtain even more materials.

"What do you take me for? I know that!" He doesn't take too kindly to my comment. He still sounds like a brat. "You're still in your first year as a God Eater. I'm just giving you some advice as a veteran. Never mind all this. Let's go out on another mission!" I nod my head and let Shun pick another mission for us. He gets in contact with Hibari who communicates the different missions available – the different high-paying missions available.

Similar to earlier, Shun doesn't tell me about the mission until we're on the helicopter, being carried straight to the mission area from Aegis Island. We're going to be up against a swarm of Gboro-Gboros; a regular one and three different variants. I suppose the good news is that there's a golden Gboro-Gboro among them. They tend to drop some rare materials, so this mission will probably give out a high pay; which is good news for Shun. I'm not really too focused on the pay though. I'm more focused on making sure he learns a Blood Art. Shun uses a long blade like I am using at the moment. And I've already managed to learn a few Blood Arts for this, but I guess that's what being a natural for Blood Arts means for switching Arcs.

Again, in twenty minutes time, all four of the Gboro-Gboros were defeated. They never caused much trouble. We were against no more than two at the same time so it was pretty much a routine mission.

"Damn! You were way better than I thought." Shun strangely compliments my abilities which causes an eyebrow to raise. "Not like you're better than me, though. It's just, you look like you know your stuff. You got potential. I could train you if you like." Yeah, I thought him praising me was too good to be true. Still though,

"I outrank you… a lot." I smile nervously at him, unbelieving that he would make an offer like that to someone of a higher rank.

"Don't gimme that! In this world, it's experience that counts. Yeah!" I'm not sure I can agree with Shun. Sure, having experience of multiple fights is better than having none at all, but it's ability that gets you places. That's why I'm the Captain of Blood Special Forces. Speaking of which, it feels as though it's been ages since I've been on a mission with any of them. It's probably because I've already been on so many missions today that I'm starting to miss having them on my team. "Ha! I guess you're not at the level where I can really start moulding you into a warrior after all. It's too soon. You're still green, yeah?" I let him say what he wants about me so that he can cheer himself up. He's just denying the fact that I don't need him to train me. Or is that just his way of getting closer to me? "Just keep up the hard work, champ!" Champ?! He's got some nerve! "I guess I can leave you some of my targets at least. But don't forget the deal: we tell everyone that I killed half of 'em." I choose not to retaliate to him, only because the helicopter arrives and we get on board, heading back to the Den.

"Any progress with your Blood Art yet?" I ask him. It only took two missions for Karel to learn how to use Blood Bullets, maybe two missions is all it will take for Shun to learn how to use a Blood Art.

"It's getting there. I think one more mission will-"

"This is an emergency broadcast to all God Eaters." Hibari's voice through our earpieces cut him off. "Two Aragami have broken through the Anti-Aragami Wall." I gulp at the news. I turn to Shun to see how he takes this news. He looks as though he has seen a ghost, as though all colour has been removed from his face.

"Hey, this ain't good! Some Aragami are attacking the satellite base! There hasn't been any direct damage yet, but… Dammit! What are the other Cradle units doing?! Part of the wall's destroyed! We gotta be quick or the people inside are goners! I need your help! Please! You've gotta help me save the satellite base!" Shun rambles as Hibari's announcement continues playing through our earpieces. It's clear that we have to do something and there's no time to leave.

"Let's get over there now." I say to reassure Shun before informing the pilot of our new destination. The pilot doesn't object to dropping us off at the site. However, on our way there, Hibari informs us that the two Aragami have headed into the Abandoned City. These Aragami consist of a Quadriga and a Garm. Hibari also informs us that Karel and Gina are also on their way to the site and that Urara will take over as the operator.

"It's our job to make sure those Aragami die. I'm sure the others will handle the situation at the satellite base." I, once again, reassure Shun who has grown silent during the exchange. Something doesn't seem right with him at the moment. He's panicked. He can't keep his cool, and I know that I can't help him with that. I'll have to get Karel and Gina to reassure him that everything will be okay as well. Actually, come to think of it, Shun was about to say that he needed another mission before he could master his Blood Art; maybe this will do it. So many emotions must be swirling around in his head, and this could lead to him mastering a Blood Art as we defeat the Aragami. Then that would leave me with Gina. I shiver slightly at the thought of being left with a sadistic woman like her. I just hope that nothing happens to me during our missions together…

Ten minutes later, Karel and Gina have met up with us and are trying to figure out where the Aragami are.

"Urara, what happened? How hard was the base hit?" Shun asks, his voice wavering slightly but it's unclear if he's still panicking or not.

"Hold on. I'll get the details… Um, the third defensive wall was breached, and a dozen homes were destroyed… We can't get any reliable numbers for injuries or casualties…" Urara nervously breaks the information to him, already knowing what his reaction will be.

"Dammit! I can't believe it!" Shun shouts in anger. I don't even need to look at him to know that he has probably grit his teeth in frustration as well.

"Shun…" Karel speaks in a calm voice as he tries to make Shun calm down as well. "Hey, Shun! Calm down." In the end, Karel can't speak calmly as he tries to force Shun to calm down.

"He's right, you know. We have a mission. Let's slay the enemies in front of us, then worry about the base." Gina attempts to calm Shun as well. Shun doesn't say anything after that, and neither do the rest of us…

As our last target takes its final breath, Shun immediately asks our operator about the status of the satellite base.

"And finished! Urara, any word on those casualty numbers?"

"I'm really sorry, Shun. The situation is still in flux. It's chaos down there. It will be almost impossible to get a real assessment unless we can get back." She replies still with a nervous voice.

"Dammit…"

"Shun, our helicopter is en route. Go and see what you can do, all right?" Gina almost commands in a caring tone. I never knew that she was capable of emotions like that. I thought sadism was all that there is to her.

"Yeah, r-right… I'll take a look." Shun accepts Gina's command in a way that doesn't make him seem grateful, but after getting to know him, I'm sure that he is. Gina and Karel can probably tell that as well, despite the fact that Shun never directly said it. This is just one of the other qualities that makes him a brat. I decide to follow Shun as he heads towards the satellite base.

As we arrive, Shun immediately runs between all of the crowded groups of civilians. He first reassures them that the threat has been taken care of before stopping to have a quick chat with them. It's strange to watch him interact with the residents. He doesn't act like a brat, but more like how Alisa interacts with them; in a professional way that borders on informal. I guess Alisa does it all formally, but maybe this lack of formality with Shun is reassuring for the residents.

"I only had a quick look, but all the residents seem to be all right." He speaks as he walks back towards me, although his gaze is elsewhere. "I can't say the same for the houses though. Still, nothing that can't be fixed. Listen…" He turns towards me, "Sorry for dragging you out on this mission. But you were a great help." It turns out that Shun can actually be grateful.

"So I get a bigger share?" I say with a hungry smile. I'm not actually interested in the money. I'm getting a lot just for going out on these missions and helping these guys learn how to use their Blood abilities. I'm not exactly going to be rich after these missions, but I'm certainly not going to be poor.

"What?! No way, man! We split it, fifty—fifty! That seems fair. Considering all the work I did!" He quickly resumes a natural voice, one that isn't bratty. "You know, I haven't known the people here that long. I used to come through after missions. Sometimes Aragami stragglers would attack them. I couldn't just stand there and do nothing, y'know? So, I'd just kinda… get rid of 'em. It was pretty boring, like shooting fish in a barrel. But they were always grateful. You see, I used to get assigned to Aegis a lot. So I never had much time for what-do-ya-call-ems…"

"Civilians…" I say with a comical expression on my face; he didn't even know what they were called?

"Right, right _civilians_. That's what I meant. I was always busy. Now I get all these satellite protection missions, so, I get to meet a ton of them. Then, well… I started getting attached. So, I got worried—just a little!—and that's why we came. I mean, they can't defend themselves against Aragami. Still, I can't believe we had to trek all the way out here for something like that. Am I right?" *sigh* "I guess it doesn't hurt to do a good deed now and again."

"Changing the subject slightly, have you learned a Blood Art yet?" At Shun's quizzical gaze, I continue speaking. "Before all of this happened, you were going to say that one more mission will help you to learn a Blood Art."

"Hmm…" He assumes a thinking stance, his head tilted towards the floor. "I was too focused on killing the Aragami so I could check this place out, so I don't really know. Although, when I was fighting the Aragami, I was able to get much stronger swings against them." I smile at Shun's explanation. To be honest, I saw that he had already mastered his Blood Art, but I wanted to know if Shun felt it.

"That's your Blood Art, Shun. You've got it now." It means my missions with him are over for the time being. It's definitely taken a while too. But I suppose it's because we had to do one more mission that I did with Karel. That probably explains why it's around 16:30. I've still got the rest of today to work with Gina, and I think I will need it. But who knows, with the way that Karel and Shun have learned how to use Blood Bullets and a Blood Art, maybe this task which I once thought was impossible _is_ actually possible.

"Great!" He fist bumps the air. "That means I can take on psions now, right?" I nod in response to his question. "Sweet! I'm going to get so much more money!" I disregard his last exclamation and start heading back to where we left Karel and Gina. I want to have a break before Gina and I get started on learning Blood Bullets. A long break since I've been on at least eight missions today already. Usually, I do one or two per day. Only rarely do I do more than five per day. But today I've completed eight missions, and I'm still not done. In order to get Gina to learn how to use Blood Bullets quicker, I'm going to need to get used to her sadism. But just the thought of that is creepy.


	97. Chapter 97 - Gina learns Blood Bullets

Chapter 97

DISCLAIMER: I DO NOT OWN THE GOD EATER FRANCHISE HOWEVER I DO OWN MY OC.

Also, please leave a review!

Name: Cedrick Esparza  
Gender: Male  
Hairstyle: Style 7 (Dark Brown)  
God Arc: Mechblade Vidofnir (Long Blade), F-SD Shot (Blast Gun), Kurogane Tower B (Tower Shield)  
Blood Art: Misty Moon II

By the time we got back to the Den, it was 17:00. This means that, at most, I have seven hours left to work with Gina and make sure that she's learned Blood Bullets in that time. I really hope that it doesn't take that long. I don't think I could listen to her sadistic voice in the dark, that would really creep me out. Before setting off to arrange a mission for Gina, I made sure to have some food. Going on many missions like I am today can really work up an appetite. Thus, I make sure to get a lot of food so that I can expend the energy I gain from eating it. After that, I ask Hibari to set up the mission and to give Gina a call telling her to meet me on the roof.

I must have been waiting for ten minutes before Gina actually shows up. The sun still shines bright in the sky and gives no signs that it will stop doing so soon. It shines so much in fact that I have to stand with me back against it while I wait for Gina. The warmth of the sun doesn't feel as nice as I would have hoped as it only proceeds in reminding me how soaked with sweat I actually am. It's not the only fluid I'm soaked in though. I've fought many Aragami today, so I'm not surprised that I'm coated in the blood of my enemies. Well, some of them, at least. A few of the Aragami were kept well at bay while they took their last breath. Others though, I was up close and personal with them. The Corrosive Hannibal is just one of them. At the sound of a door opening, I turn towards the lift and see the silver-haired woman stepping out of it.

"Hehe… Been waiting long?" She asks in a humoured voice. I choose not to answer her and wait for her to walk up to me as I stand beside the helicopter we'll be taking. "Ah. So, it's just the two of us?" Again, I don't answer. I don't need to. "Hehehe. I hope we can really get to know one another, Captain." She chuckles with an almost pure sadistic voice. I turn around and hop onto the helicopter, mainly so that Gina couldn't see my face in case it showed how nervous I feel around her. She must be the only woman that I'll never have a romantic interest in. I hate sadists, but I've been called a sadist before… By Emil and Erina, no less. How dare they think that I'm anything like Gina?! I sit down in the seat furthest away from the door. When Gina enters the helicopter, she tells the pilot to take us to our destination before sitting opposite me. She sits there with her attention focused on me; just staring at me. Even when I try to look away, I still feel her eyes looking at me. Or should I say eye? She has an eyepatch covering one of her eyes, so unless she's wearing it as a fashion statement, then she couldn't see through the covered eye. Thinking about it reminds me of my own eye. The same eye that Gina can't see out of. We both have an eyepatch that covers our left eye. I remember that I was out on a mission when I first couldn't see very well, and ultimately, to save my eyesight, I had to remove one eye. I never did like the replacement eye, so I never bothered to let anyone see it. Nobody has seen it since then and I don't intend to let anyone see it. It's a horrible thing, to be honest. If I would, I'd have it taken out. Actually, I remember that Kanon was like the doctor's assistant and was present for the operation to remove my original eye. You know, it seems as though Kanon has helped me through a lot of things. I remember that she said something about her friend who had to undergo the same operation and decided to wear an eyepatch because she didn't like the fake eye; the same reason as me. I turn back to the girl in front of me, whom I notice still stares at me.

"You suffered from Glaucoma too?" I ask in surprise. I couldn't remember if Kanon had said the name of her friend, but the girl in front of me seems to be a likely candidate for the position of Kanon's friend with an eyepatch. As far as I know, I've met everybody that used to be in the Far East Branch now apart from the former captain of the first unit. Gina's smile widens as she realises what I've said.

"Too?" She picks up on the use of my word, "So that's how it happened. Kanon told me all about the fact that I wasn't the only God Eater at the Branch who had to get their eye removed. I never would have thought we'd have that in common when I first met you." She smiles as she explains, confirming that she is, indeed, Kanon's friend who had the same operation.

"When you first met me?" It was my turn to pick up on her use of words, albeit I'm more surprised than she was.

"I noticed your eyepatch earlier. I had my suspicion, but I never expected it to be you." Gina explains, still with her smile on her face, although her voice seems to sound more kind. "Who'd have guessed we have that in common. So, how are you coping with one eye?"

"I've managed. It's something that I had to get used to, and I did get used to." For some reason, the fact that Gina knows what it's like to go through an operation like that and have the same opinion of the end result seems comforting. It definitely makes me feel warmer than I did a few minutes ago. "Of course," I say with a chuckle before pointing to my eyepatch, "I didn't like the end result." Gina only seems to smile wider at that.

"They don't have good taste in fake eyes, do they?" She says with a giggle and I feel a smile spread onto my face.

"You've got that right. I thought they put a table tennis ball in my socket when I first saw it." My response makes Gina laugh heartily.

"I know what you mean. Just think, yours is probably better than mine." She points to her own eyepatch. "I had this done years before you had yours completed." She then proceeds to do something I didn't expect, and places both hands onto her eyepatch before gently, almost seductively, lifting up her eyepatch to reveal the fake eyeball underneath. The first thing I notice about her eye is that she has makeup on it, as well as on her real eye, meaning that she can at least tolerate the fake eye enough to put on makeup, even if it won't be seen by anyone. But after that though, the next thing I see is a black table tennis ball in the place of her socket. I'm not sure what to think about that.

"Why black?" It was the only thing I could say. She covers her fake eye back up as she corrects her eyepatch.

"When I had to get the operation done, I was a teenager." I'm not even sure how old she is now, but if she's saying that then it must have been a while ago. With a finger to her lip, she continues, "I had some… interesting tastes when I was a teenager." She removes her finger from her lip, "I remember that I was adamant that the fake eye was black, maybe for the same reason you cover up your eye."

"Why would you cover it up though if you liked your fake eye?" Her reason is confusing. I covered mine up because I couldn't stand to look at it, or for other people to look at it. Gina liked her fake eye, so why did she cover it up?

"I didn't start wearing an eyepatch until after I was a teenager. As I grew up, I realised that the interests I had as a teenager weren't exactly… family friendly…" Her voice seems to be begging to continue but her brain must be holding her back. "The important thing is, as I grew up, I didn't like it." The smile drops from her face and a weird silence is brought into the helicopter. The girl continues to stare at me, but without a smile this time. Well, that is until a few seconds later, "Well, I showed you." Her smile grows wide and her voice almost takes on a sultry tone. "Now, you show me." I could have sworn I heard her a weird noise from her as she finished speaking, but I choose not to focus on that. Instead, I quickly raise a hand to my eyepatch, not to reveal what's underneath but to keep a tight grip on it.

"I can't show this." I say in a bit of a panic. I was just thinking about how I'm not going to show anyone what my fake eye looks like, but I do feel guilty that Gina showed me her fake eye.

"What?" She doesn't seem too surprised by my answer, her smile not fading from her face as she wriggles around in her seat. "You're not going to give me a reward?" I choose not to answer her, which may have been the wrong choice. She stands up from her seat and looks down her nose at me, smiling evilly. She then sits down beside me, making sure that she's as slow as possible so that I can get a good look at her arse and hips as she sits down. She almost seductively places a hand on my thigh, and since the hand closest to her is still strapped to my eyepatch, she's free to do as she pleases. I fear that taking my hand away from my eyepatch will cause her to take a peak underneath herself. She definitely seems bold enough to do that if she's trying to seduce me to allow her to take a gander. However, I have the advantage in this situation.

"I'm not interested in a woman who puts herself on display like you." Her hand immediately leaves my thigh. I look towards her.

"Ah," I still see a smile on her face. "So you're the type that can't be seduced… this way." I almost double-take at her words.

"Wha-?"

"We're here!" The pilot shouts up and I take a look out of the window and see the Tranquil Temple beneath us. "I'll imagine this mission will take a while, so I'll head back to the Den." The pilot continues, and he is right. We're up against a Fallen Sariel and an Aether. Gina opens the door to the helicopter and gives me a little salute before jumping out. I follow after her once I know that I won't land on her. That wouldn't be very good, especially considering what just happened…

As the pilot had guessed, it did take quite a while to defeat both the Aragami. This is mainly due to me not having equipped a suitable Blood Art for this battle. Really, I could only use my Blood Art when the Aragami were stunned and were only inches from the ground. When they're up in the air like they mostly are, my Blood Art can't reach them. Other than that though, it was pretty much a routine mission. Still, it did take 30 minutes to complete and Gina doesn't look as though she's learned how to use Blood Bullets yet. I'm not surprised though, the others didn't learn them until after a couple of missions. Which is why, when we get back to the Den, I tell Gina not to get too comfortable as I set up another mission for us.

This time, as we finish up our second mission, we were against a Venus. An Aragami that can use the attacks of other Aragami such as a Gboro-Gboro, a Borg Camlann and a Quadriga. The Venus also has its own unique attacks, but despite all of this, it was arguably easier than our first mission. This time, my Blood Art was very effective.

"You were very impressive today, Captain." Gina praises me as she walks towards me, coming to a stop about two metres away. Even if this Aragami was easy to beat, it still required effort to do so. After all, even though you can activate Blood Arts effortlessly, it requires effort to sustain them. "It's been far too long since I've had the pleasure of watching such a talented fighter." Her voice begins to sound a bit sadistic again. With a finger to her lip, she continues, "I… don't know how combat makes you feel, but…" she removes her finger from her lip and a silence fills the area. That is until, she laughs. "Hehehe… When I pull this trigger, and that little crimson flower blossoms on an Aragami's body…" She lifts her God Arc slightly closer towards her, looking at it caringly before lowering it and focusing her attention on me, "In that moment, I know what it is to feel truly alive." She finishes with her sadistic voice before bringing her God Arc back up as if she's getting ready to shoot something. "Bang." She lifts her Arc up slightly, imitating not only the sound of a bullet but the feel of the recoil. She quickly rights her stance. "Cedrick, may I ask if you ever have that same feeling?"

"I do, but not when I'm shooting." I answer honestly after a long, hard think. I know what she means though. To be able to control a life, even if it is an Aragami's life, and to be able to end it however you want to; it does give you a strange, excitable feeling.

"Really? Who would have guessed we would share that?" Now that I think about it, I never even knew I felt that way. I mean, I definitely feel it sometimes, but it isn't an overpowering feeling. I hope it never does become an overpowering feeling; I'd hate to be the male equivalent of Gina. "Hehehe. I actually had a lot of fun today. We should do this again, if you're free." Honestly, her words, to me, make this sound more like a date, and I can only think to myself that if only Ciel would be as easily satisfied as Gina is. But Ciel would have to have the same feelings for me that I have for her. Yes, even if it's painful, even though I know that I have to move on, I still feel the same for Ciel that I have done for a long time. I just can't get over her, even though I know that I should do. That's why, if I can find a replacement, I can grow to love that person and lose my feelings for Ciel. However, finding another person is easier said than done. Not just anyone could replace Ciel.

"Acquiring Blood Bullets isn't easy." Gina speaks up again and takes me out of my thoughts, something that I'm thankful for. "I just don't feel like I'm making any progress." Her words give me a cold feeling in my chest. I'm not quite sure what it is but I suspect that it might be disappointment. Whether I'm disappointed in her or myself, I do not know. "It's so frustrating…" She lowers her head, seemingly disappointed in herself, "What can I do to vent?"

"Take it out on more Aragami." I suggest to her. Who knows, it may even help her to learn Blood Bullets. She raises her head.

"Nah, I can't torment Aragami. I was only joking. All I can do is believe in myself." She gives me a smile. A kind smile.

"Let's go out on another mission." I suggest to the smiling Gina. "I'm sure one more mission will help you obtain Blood Bullets." I give her a kind smile of my own. "I'll arrange another one when we get back to the Den. It will need to be more difficult so that you can learn how to use Blood Bullets."

After another hour, I had managed to arrange a considerably more difficult mission. So much more difficult in fact, that I had to enlist the services of Shun and Karel, the two people whom can already use Blood Bullets or a Blood Art. After this mission though, I intend for there to be three people who have already earned their Blood Abilities, and thus, only two more will remain. This mission pitted us against four Charged Chi-Yous as well as a Nyx Alpha. I commanded Gina and Karel to take care of the Nyx Alpha while Shun and I began work on the Charged Chi-Yous. Now, the mission is nearing completion and only one tired Aragami remains. However, as I give Shun a burst boost before turning towards my comrades and transferring Aragami bullets towards them, they unleash their attacks and the Aragami falls. I keep an eye on Gina as she relentlessly fires towards the dead Aragami, but I can understand why. She's finally learned how to use Blood Bullets, and so, it's all we hear about on the helicopter ride back. I thought that would be the end of it, but even as I sit having a lovely drink courtesy of Mutsumi, Gina stands beside me, though I didn't notice until I heard her hands tapping on the table.

"May I join you, Captain?" She says with a happy voice. It's clear how she feels about obtaining Blood Bullets. I give her a nod of the head. She must have something that she wishes to discuss. She takes a seat beside me before continuing. "You did good work out there today. As usual." I feel like telling her, 'I know'. After all, in the space of 10 hours, I've managed to get me Evoke working on three people. These people know how to use Blood Bullets or a Blood Art, whichever one applies to them. This also means I have the whole day tomorrow to make sure that Tatsumi and Brendan learn how to use their own Blood Arts. This seemingly impossible mission is actually possible; that is, if I put the effort in. "I'm sure all of this can't be fun for you." I turn towards the woman as she says that and see that the smile has been removed from her face.

"Why do you think that?" Because I'm under pressure? Because I don't get extra pay for this?

"You know what I mean, working with sad little first-gen God Eaters like us. What's the appeal, right?"

"That's why you think I'm not enjoying myself? I don't mind that you're first-gen God Eaters." I reply honestly. I don't care if they're not able to change their God Arc's form, as long as they are working, I don't care what they use.

"You mean you enjoy watering wilting flowers?" She smiles at this. "Hehe… How strange." She's regained her smile. "By the by, I had an interesting chat with the other members of Blood." That really attracts my attention. When did she find the time to do that? While I was taking the others on missions? "They're all really good people." I smile at her words. She thinks so too. "Watching the way you all joke around together reminds me of what we were like when the Defence Unit was formed." She explains. "Captain Tatsumi's always been really easy-going, Brendan's always been… intense. Heh, the two of them never stopped fighting." She giggles, recalling on previous memories. "Karel was even more difficult than he is now and Shun was always running off alone. Idiot. They're foolish, but the have good hearts. Kanon was the last to join up. Honestly, I looked at her and didn't see the potential there. But now, it's impossible to miss." She giggles again. "To call us misfits would be putting it lightly, but every now and then we really came together as a team." She says with a hand under her chin.

"It sounds a lot like Blood." We had our own share of problems as we were trying to get closer together, but we always managed to complete missions as a team, even if it meant one or two of us got scolded for doing something that wasn't supposed to happen. Whether it was me saving Ciel, or Romeo doing things differently, it seemed as though arguments would always happen.

"Hehe… Yeah, I thought as much." She giggles. "In any case, I should be heading out." She gets up from her seat. I have no idea where she is headed, but if I had to guess it would be the training room. She'll want to get used to her Blood Bullets. As she stands up, she continues to speak, "Listen, I know we're not the easiest people in the world to deal with, but still…" She places a hand on my shoulder and almost whispers into my ear, "You put up with us, and that really means a lot. More than I can say." In that moment, I begin to regret almost everything I thought about her during the course of the day. She's expressing gratitude on behalf of her unit. And here I thought she was merely a sadist. I would be lying if I said I didn't feel a bit warmer after hearing that, but at the same time, I feel a bit cold for what I had been thinking. "See you around." She ends our conversation with a happy voice before walking away from me. Maybe I've been a bit too negative when I've been dealing with these people. When tomorrow comes around, I'm going to make sure that I'm not negative. After all, with three out of five people already being able to use the Blood Ability that works for them, this is definitely a doable job. My only question now is, who should be next to learn a Blood Art; Tatsumi or Brendan?

A/N: Does anyone know why Gina wars an eyepatch?


	98. Chapter 98 - Brendan learns a Blood Art

Chapter 98

DISCLAIMER: I DO NOT OWN THE GOD EATER FRANCHISE HOWEVER I DO OWN MY OC.

Also, please leave a review!

Name: Cedrick Esparza  
Gender: Male  
Hairstyle: Style 7 (Dark Brown)  
God Arc: Mechblade Vidofnir (Long Blade), F-SD Shot (Blast Gun), Kurogane Tower B (Tower Shield)  
Blood Art: Misty Moon II

I didn't think that I would get to have a relaxing night's sleep, but I did; and I deserve it too. Gina, Karel and Shun are all able to use either Blood Bullets or a Blood Art. That was only possible after spending about three missions with each of them as well as the missions that introduced me to them along with Tatsumi and Brendan. It seemed impossible for five people to learn how to use a Blood Art or Blood Bullets at the start of yesterday, but after seeing how progress has been going, it is definitely possible. With a smile on my face, I get ready for the day ahead of me; stocking up on Restore Pills, Restore Balls, Restore Posts and O-Ampules. As soon as I've done that, I head out of my room and arrange a mission. I'd already decided on whom I will choose as the next person to learn a Blood Art, now all I have to do is wait for them.

"Hello, Captain." Ah, I guess I didn't have to wait long; the blue jacketed man named Brendan makes me aware of his presence with a monotonous voice. He walks towards me. Like I did with Gina yesterday, I told Hibari to give Brendan a signal that I was ready to begin a mission and to tell him to meet me on the roof. Also, in a similar condition to yesterday, I'm waiting at a helicopter that is almost ready for take-off. "It seems as though the mission today is just the two of us."

"That's right, Brendan." I give a smile and a firm nod. I'm actually interested to see what Blood Arts he and Tatsumi learn. Brendan uses a Buster Blade God Arc which isn't too dissimilar to mine, even if mine is a Long Blade. Tatsumi, on the other hand, uses a Short Blade; the same type I used before I decided to switch for something a bit heavier hitting. So, I'm especially interested to see the type of Blood Art Tatsumi can learn, thus, I decided to save the best for last.

"I apologise that I'm taking your valuable time for teaching." Brendan politely apologises in his usual stoic manner. "I'll endeavour to learn as much as I can." I give a nod at his words. Even if I said that his apology wasn't needed, I think that he'd apologise again. That's only wasting time and effort that could be put to use elsewhere like defeating Aragami.

"Let's go then, Brendan." I let Brendan walk into the helicopter before I get in. "Can you take us to the Abandoned City, please?" I ask the pilot. He merely raises his hand as if to say, 'get yourself seated'. I do as his gesture suggests and sit diagonally across from Brendan. He chooses not to speak for the entire ride. Strangely, it's a comforting silence; not awkward at all. He must be trying to figure out his battle strategy, I wonder if he already knows that we're up against a Yaksha Raja and a Ravana.

After a surprising ten minutes, I find out that Brendan must have been told who his opponents would be for this mission. Unlike what he did in the introductory mission, Brendan already seemed to have his tactics set out. I suppose that previously it must have been because I was in charge. However, since there was only two of us on this mission, there was more freedom. Thus, each person can use their own battle style, or use multiple battle styles for multiple opponents. Brendan decided to stick up close and personal when fighting both Aragami; luckily, they never ran into each other.

"You did well." I commend his efforts as I walk up to him. "And it looks like you didn't even break a sweat." It's true. He's not even panting after swinging his God Arc the way he did. He must have some excellent stamina.

"Thank you, Captain." He expresses his gratitude as he finishes devouring the last of the Ravana. "I'm used to fighting Aragami such as Yaksha Raja and Ravana when my unit are searching for new areas to construct satellite bases on."

"So, do you feel as though you've learned a Blood Art yet?" If he has then it would be a lot sooner than I expected. I really doubt that he has learned one though. We've only been on this one mission today. Brendan drops his head and has a disappointed look on his face.

"I'm sorry, but I haven't."

"Don't worry about it." I'm quick to stop him from spiralling into depression. He definitely seems like the type who would do that. "Nobody would be able to learn a Blood Art after one mission. I was just asking in case you felt a power beginning to awake within you." I offer a smile to accompany my words.

"Blood Alpha!" I hear Hibari speak up through my earpiece. If she's calling me that then that must mean another member of Blood is on a mission. I wonder who it is. "I've detected a large Aragami signal heading to your area. ETA: Five minutes." Hibari informs me.

"It looks as though we're not done here, Brendan." He looks at me inquisitively, confusion on his face. He didn't get the same message that I received.

"A large Aragami will be here in five minutes. Do you think you can go for another round?" He'll only get a five minute break, will he be able to cope? To answer me, he merely smiles and gives a nod of the head.

"What's the Aragami?" He asks a good question and I relay it back to Hibari.

"It looks to be a Hannibal variant. Be prepared for anything." Hibari informs me and I give the same information to Brendan.

"We should probably hide until we know what it is. Then we can make a plan for how to deal with it." He suggests tactically.

"You're right." With that, we both look for the best place to hide.

The five minutes pass by rather quickly, but we've managed to find a good hiding spot. It's actually along a narrow pathway heading to Point C. That's when we hear the roar of the Aragami.

"It's almost here." Brendan states the obvious in a stoic voice. However, when we hear another roar behind us, that's when I realise something.

"Hibari," I open up the communications with her, "what are the arrival coordinates of the large Aragami?" Aragami don't always show up in the large centre of the map. Sometimes they appear the back way, and if this Aragami has done that then it would have been pointless to _hide_ in such an obvious position that is most likely in the sight of the Aragami.

"It is arriving at Point C now." Point C is behind us. Before we can turn around, the ground shakes.

"Behind us!" I shout and it's a good job that I did as we are able to see the form of a Caligula sprinting towards us. That must have been why it roared the first time, it had saw us then. Despite being startled, with a bit of effort, we both manage to avoid its charging attack by leaping out of the way. Regaining my composure quickly, I decide to change my Arc to Gun Form and fire a couple of shots at the beast which has since come to a stop. I decide to backstep away from the Caligula in case it's charging up another attack while it has its back turned to us. I force myself to change my Arc back to Melee Form as the Aragami lifts up into the air. I don't know exactly what to do in this situation, so I decide to deploy my shield. It's a good job I did as not even a moment later, the Caligula charges towards me, the blades on its right arm leading the way. It collides with my shield and it exerts so much pressure that I'm sure that my shield was going to break. The momentum from the charging beast causes me to skid back several metres as well, but I'm more focused on the condition of my God Arc. I should ask Licca to take a look at it after this mission. It wouldn't be very good for me to continue teaching Brendan a Blood Art if my Arc has been damaged. Eventually, the Aragami comes to a stop and so do I. As soon as we do, I slash right at its face and manage to land a solid couple of hits, as well as missing dramatically as the Aragami recoils under the assault. Brendan chips away at its left arm, taking advantage of the recoiling Caligula. I do the same and aim for the right arm of the beast, hitting its face as well as I jump to land a couple more hits on it.

Within twenty minutes, the monster falls to the ground with one final roar. I extract its core and materials.

"Thank you, Captain." I turn towards Brendan as he speaks, having just called for a helicopter to pick us up. "Today's mission was highly informative." It was? How so? "I learned much fighting at your side. I do sincerely hope that my Blood Arts will awaken soon." He sounds a bit dejected that they still haven't awoken.

"I'm sure they will." I comfort him with a smile.

"Really?" He responds in a hopeful voice. "Thank you, Instructor. I am proud to hear it from you." It's still a bit weird to hear him call me _Instructor_ but I can live with it. "The sooner the better. We're facing a major threat right now. We can't allow the psion to roam free. Oh…" He trails off. "Sorry for nattering on like that. Let's head back to base." I give a nod of my head in confirmation.

"Before we go on another mission, I want Licca to have a look at my God Arc." I inform him of my plans.

"Is something wrong?" His voice shows his concern, but I brush it off quickly. It's nice to hear that he isn't always stoic and can actually express some emotions, no matter how rarely that may be.

"Those numerous charging attacks from the Caligula might have done a number on my shield. I want to get it checked out just in case there is something wrong with it."

"Ah, I see. You wouldn't want the shield to break when we're out on a mission." Brendan correctly guesses, and I give a nod of my head. At this point, I decide to end the conversation and try to get in contact with Licca. I successfully do so and tell her of my plans. Fortunately, she's got a little bit of time to spare so she can check it out as soon as I get back.

"Oh, wow. You use your shield quite a lot, don't you?" Licca says in an awed voice.

"Of course!" I exclaim with vigour. "A shield should protect you from the dangers of fighting."

"You're absolutely right." She says with a sweet smile as she turns towards me, but it soon disappears. "But most people often upgrade their shield. Yours is full of scratches and marks! You need to take better care of it!"

"Okay, Licca." I have to hold my hands up to stop her from getting any further into my face as she expresses her anger. Actually, it was more like she was very annoyed, maybe slightly angry, but very annoyed. "I'll upgrade it before I set out." I give a laugh but my voice wobbles and shows my nervousness at the situation. She must have heard it too as she backs up and gives a sigh.

"You should do that." She sighs again before telling me how I can upgrade it.

"I'll see you around then, Licca." I bid farewell to her.

"Wait!" At her sudden shout, I stop moving away from her and turn to face her again. "I've managed to complete the new thing I've been researching." She happily tells me with a smile on her face. "With your Blood Power, it'll open up all sorts of new possibilities!" Her smile only grows as she continues her explanation. Her smile is infectious, and I too begin to smile. "I've named it _Blood Rage_! What do you think? Pretty snappy, right?"

"Let's see what it can do!" Truth be told, even though I don't know what this Blood Rage is, it sounds very exciting. I can feel my heart pumping faster than it was before I heard this news.

"I knew you would say that." She smiles expectedly. "The preparations for the test run are already complete! I thought it might be hard to explain just by talking, so I've prepped a training program! Just let me or Hibari know when you're ready to try it out." She still smiles at me, barely containing her excitement.

"I'll test it straight after Brendan learns his Blood Art." I give a reciprocating smile before waving to Licca and proceeding to the operator's mission desk to set up another mission. The news of a new type of power that I'll be able to use hasn't really hit me yet. I don't understand what Blood Rage is or what it can do, which is why I can't sit still. Every second I waste is a second that I'm unable to see what Blood Rage can do. I know I'm excited, but I shouldn't let this get in the way of Brendan learning a Blood Art. Besides, everybody else only required three missions before they could get a Blood Art or use Blood Bullets; if all goes according to plan, Brendan should learn one after his next mission. I can't help but smile at that…

And so, as soon as Brendan and I have finished our mission, I ask if he has learned a Blood Art. I'm happily surprised to learn that he has which causes me to get even more excited. When we reach the Den, I told Licca to set my Arc up to prepare for the training runs. While it is preparing, I decide to try and calm my nervous with a can of pop (A/N: soda for those of you that don't understand) from one of the vending machines. Surprisingly, as I wait for the upgrades to be completed, Brendan also grabs a can and sits down near me.

"You've got a heavy burden on your shoulders, Captain." He states simply with no emotion. This burden will be considerably less depending on how well this Blood Rage thing goes. Besides, I now only have to get Tatsumi to learn a Blood Art and it has only just gone one o' clock. I have the rest of the day to help Tatsumi as well as to learn how to use Blood Rage. I'm definitely more excited for the latter. "The fate of the Far East Branch is balanced on the coming battle." He continues. "If I was in your shoes, I think I might crumble under the pressure."

"I'll be honest, Brendan, it is a little worrying." I stop to take a drink. "Yesterday morning, I thought that this would be impossible, but now four out of the five of you have learned how to use either Blood Arts or Blood Bullets. Only one person remains, and I still have the rest of the day to teach them." I casually inform him, relaying my previous thoughts.

"I see. You are a true leader. I've lost count of the sieges I've been in. I'm still not used to them." He pauses to take a drink. "When you serve with the Defence Unit, seeing death up close is just another part of the job. If we fail, it's the civilians who suffer." I never really stopped to think about the Defence Unit's responsibilities. I suppose Blood is lucky to only have to help out in some cases, but we mainly fight psions. But now other God Eaters can too. "Our top priority is to defend the defenceless, but there is one other thing we must never forget… we must protect ourselves as well." He speaks solemnly. "This unit cannot afford to lose anyone in battle. For one of us to need rescuing… it's unthinkable. We constantly risk our own lives and the risks we take, against the lives of those in our charge. Everyone assigned to this must come to terms with the job on their own."

"Have you?" The way he speaks, it seems as though he hasn't. I must say, when he came here, I never expected to have a serious talk such as this one. This must be his way of getting closer to me.

"No." He answers quickly but changes his mind just as quick. "Well… Maybe." He stands up from his seat before he says anything else. "I… don't know. I still haven't been able to decide. Once I let that idea get the better of me. I made a choice to survive at the expense of another." Oh? So, he's tasted what's it like to lose somebody as well? Well, in this day and age, that's to be expected of people like us. "I've regretted it ever since. In that moment, I decided I'd do everything in my power to save anyone I can, no exceptions or hesitation. I never thought it would be such a tough road to follow." I must admit, this talk is getting a bit too depressing. It's pretty hard to keep a clear head when the atmosphere is like this. Even the fact that I get to test out Blood Rage soon isn't doing much to lighten my mood. "Even so… It's my calling. I love this job, Captain." His words carry his happiness with them and once they reach my ears, I feel myself beginning to lighten up too. I nod at him. It's important to love your job, and I can honestly say that I do too. Despite what I've lost while doing this job, I've still gained a lot more. He gives me a nod of his head in return; a silent understanding between us. He places his empty can in the bin before heading out.

"Cedrick are you ready to test Blood Rage?" I hear in my earpiece. I had decided to keep it on so that Licca could contact me as soon as my Arc was ready instead of calling for me over the intercom. I smile as I give her my response.

"Of course!" And with that, I set off towards the training room…


	99. Chapter 99 - BR Tatsumi CEs

Chapter 99

DISCLAIMER: I DO NOT OWN THE GOD EATER FRANCHISE HOWEVER I DO OWN MY OC.

Also, please leave a review!

Name: Cedrick Esparza  
Gender: Male  
Hairstyle: Style 7 (Dark Brown)  
God Arc: Mechblade Vidofnir (Long Blade), F-SD Shot (Blast Gun), Kurogane Tower B (Tower Shield)  
Blood Art: Misty Moon II

A/N: 99 chapters already. The next one will be the hundredth.

"Today we're doing Blood Rage tests!" Licca happily announces from her position overlooking the training room. I, on the other hand, stand in the middle of the training room, staring at a simulated Vajra with my God Arc in hand. "So, here comes the lecture part. You ready?" It makes sense that I would be lectured on how to use Blood Rage. After all, this is a new device that will help harness the power of my God Arc. Licca has already attached a very small device to my Arc; so small it is barely noticeable. "To execute Blood Rage all sorts of conditions must be met!" Yeah, it makes sense that I wouldn't be able to use it in any situation. "First, you gotta defeat an Aragami and raise your God Arc's Evoke rate. Sounds easy, right? You do that all the time." It does sound easy. All I need to do is defeat an Aragami then I'll be able to use Blood Rage. That means if I kill an Ogretail, I should be able to use Blood Rage on another Aragami straight after. "But we're not gonna make you fight a whole bunch of Aragami. We're just gonna do it for you… This time." Licca informs me and where the Blood Rage device is attached to my Arc, I see a display next to it. The display increases from 0% to 100% pretty quickly. As well as that though, as soon as it reaches 100%, one out of four bars is highlighted on the display. Does this mean I can stockpile Blood Rage? "Once the rate exceeds 100%, we can go ahead and trigger the Resonance Control System!" She exclaims happily. I must admit that I can feel the excitement piling up within my stomach too.

"So, how do I activate it?" I ask, staring at my God Arc.

"Somewhere on your grip, I've put a small button that you can press to activate it. Try pressing it!" The excitement never leaves her voice as she explains. I do as she says and a very thin, almost transparent orange light encloses me. As I move, so too does the light. "Bam! Just like that! Resonance Control System totally ready!" I stare at my Arc while she speaks and notice that there are large words across the screen. They read, _Which God will you strike?_ After I press the button again, an image of a Vajra appears on the screen. My Arc can sense the Aragami we're against? That's pretty cool! I click the button again and a different message appears on the screen, _What battle do you pledge?_ After the words are removed, a few options take its place: Pledge of Pursuit (20% UP – Deal 3703 damage) and Instinct Unleashed (10% - Perform one devour).

"Remember how I told you a God Arc is kinda, sorta… alive?" Licca continues her explanation. "Well, you're going to pledge an oath to your God Arc. Fulfill that oath, and the God Arc will release power far beyond anything you've ever seen before." So, I must pledge an oath before Blood Rage can activate? Thus, the stipulations to Blood Rage is having it reach 100% and to pledge an oath? That seems pretty good actually. I'm glad it doesn't require anything like a blood sacrifice. I tap on the screen to select both the options for pledges that appear; doing so brings up a bit more information on each pledge. As soon as I've selected them both, a timer appears in the middle of the screen while the pledges appear at the bottom left of it. "And that's how you Blood Rage. Well, the short, short version. I didn't even get into the alternative God Arc quantum theories!" She continues happily. I'm glad she spared me those theories. Looking at the screen again, I see more words appear; _fulfil your pledge within 30 seconds_. That must mean that after the allotted time, Blood Rage won't activate. Thus, as the timer ticks down to 3, 2, and then 1, I shoot off towards the Vajra simulacrum and start slashing at its face. "All right, system activated! Fulfil those oaths!" Every slash adds 200 or so damage to the counter.

"I'll try the tail." I think to myself as I wonder if I'll fulfil the pledge in time. I move towards the tail and start striking it; each hit does about 450 damage which is a lot more than if I were to just hit the face over and over again. It also means that I'll fulfil the pledge in less time. Thus, after only five more swings, the first pledge is fulfilled. I look to the screen to see what my second pledge was and see that it was to perform one devour. I quickly swing and the beast before unlocking my God Arc to allow it to take a bite out of the simulacra.

"Resonance Control is complete!" I hear Licca say enthusiastically but professionally. "Have some Blood Rage!" The moment she says that, I feel a searing warmth shoot through my Arc and into my arm. The warmth continues throughout my body until I feel something almost poking at the skin on my back. Something wants to get out of my skin. I'll be lying if I said I wasn't feeling scared at the moment. I'd heard the tale of what happened to Lindow and am beginning to fear that maybe this isn't supposed to happen; maybe my God Arc is spiralling out of control. "Once you're in Blood Rage, all your attacks get like super powerful! Ha! I can't wait to watch it!"

"RAH!" With a slightly pained grunt, and the tensing of my back, I feel something poke out of my back. Surprisingly, it didn't hurt as it did so, so maybe this was meant to happen. I use this warm feeling in my body and continue slashing at the Vajra. After just two slashes, it's tail becomes unbound. I immediately move onto the Vajra's cape and again, after only a few slashes, it's cape becomes unbound. This warm feeling is definitely a power surge and I only feel it growing inside me. My mouth stretches into a smile as I continue picking off the unbound-able parts of the Aragami.

"Yeah! Keep on cutting through!" I can feel the excitement in Licca's voice as she watches me destroy the Aragami in front of me. "You'll reach the limit in ten seconds!" She informs me. So, I guess this thing has a limit? I shouldn't be surprised. I continue slashing at the beast and allow my Blood Art to take a shot at damaging it. I would have thought that I couldn't use a Blood Art while powered up by Blood Rage, but surprisingly, I can! And it's a lot more powerful too! I notice a yellow and black trail sleek off of me as I move. It must be pretty cool to see that. I'm kind of envious that I can't look at it for long. Suddenly, the trail disappears, and I feel the thing that was sticking out of my back disappear too. It didn't recede into my back, it just disappeared. The warmth also vanishes. Has ten seconds went by already?

"And there!" Licca's voice confirms my thoughts. "Blood Rage has successfully ended! I stop slashing at the beast. There's no point in continuing. The simulacra isn't going to die, thus it's a waste of effort to continue. I look back at the Arc and see that the screen shows 0%. "That was so epic! Hah! So cool!"

"It was, wasn't it!" I couldn't help the wide smile that spread on my face as soon as I realised what Licca and I have just been able to accomplish. I can't wait to try it out on an actual battlefield.

"Not to mention your God Arc handled it perfectly! You're welcome! Hehe!" She giggles cutely. "Great work in there! I hope I helped you out more than I nattered on. You think you got a handle on Blood Rage?" Licca asks again. I turn towards the area in which she is overlooking the training field. I quickly dismiss the fact that there are a few more silhouettes in there with her and give her a thumbs-up.

"Licca, you're amazing! Great work!" She managed to develop something like this the day before a big fight. There's no way that we can lose now.

"Hehe! Thanks!" She giggles cutely again which only makes me smile more. "If you ever wanna run the training again, just to go over the basics of course, let me know!" She informs me that I can practice at any time. However, I do still need to teach Brendan how to use a Blood Art; and with this new addition to my Arc, I'm going to love going out on a few more missions. So, I walk out of the training room, my God Arc in hand.

I don't manage to walk very far though, as Licca and a few others emerge from the room overlooking the training room. I'm surprised to see that it is the rest of my unit that are with her. They must have also been watching me while I was testing out Blood Rage… I bet I looked so cool.

"Hi, guys. I didn't think you were watching." I come right out and say it.

"We heard Licca talking about it a while ago," Gilbert begins explaining, "So, we decided that we'd check it out whenever you were going to do the training. It looked really powerful." He speaks with a smile on his face. I smile back, a bit more excitedly.

"I know! Pretty cool, right?" I couldn't help but almost show off really. According to my understand of it, only I can use this power. It's a unique power just for me. Just because I have the Blood Power Evoke. I love being me sometimes.

"Despite using a number of different technologies to increase the effectiveness of our God Arcs" Ciel begins, a small smile on her face as well, "I don't think I've seen anything quite like this. I think it's on a completely different level to anything use previously. By linking Blood Powers with out God Arcs… A world of possibilities awaits us!" I'm sure I hear some excitement in her voice as well.

"Wow, Captain! You're so awesome! I wish I could use Blood Rage." Nana praises me and my new power.

"You're kidding right?" I ask Nana, already knowing how to make her feel better that she can't use Blood Rage. "You wouldn't need it. You have so much energy when you fight Aragami that it wouldn't even give you the slightest of power boosts." She wasn't actually depressed in the first place, just slightly bummed out about not being able to use Blood Rage but I'm sure my words convinced her otherwise. "Anyway guys, I'd love to stay and chat but there's still one more person that need to learn how to use a Blood Art." As much as I hated to leave them after only a minute or two of conversation, I had to. I have no idea how long it will take for Tatsumi to learn how to use a Blood Art but we have the rest of the day to make sure that he does. Thus, I head for the operator's desk and set up a mission.

Like previously, I set up the mission and tell Hibari to get in contact with the God Eater accompanying me and tell them to meet me on the roof. As I wait, I can think about my battle strategy. I can't just rely on Blood Rage all of the time so I still need a decent strategy; even more so since we will be fighting a Sariel and a Yaksha Raja. The best course of action will be to separate the two and completely maul the latter without the Sariel being able to interfere. That will give us an easier time with the Sariel where we won't need to worry about another Aragami interfering.

"Ah, Captain!" I turn my head towards Tatsumi as he makes himself known. "Hey there! Sorry to keep you waiting."

"Don't worry about it. You're the last one I've got to teach a Blood Art to and we've got the rest of the day. So, let's not rush things." I offer him a friendly smile. I know that we don't really have the rest of the day to do this. We need to make sure we get a good night's sleep, so we can fight off the Aragami herd as best we can.

"I'm actually pretty psyched for this. It'll be a nice change of pace to go on a mission with someone new." I now how he feels now. I was psyched to learn how to use Blood Rage. I imagine he has the same sort of excited feeling building in his stomach now. "Oh!" He smiles widely. "And the honey-voiced Hibari will be our operator today! Man, it doesn't get any better than that!" He exclaims happily. I wonder if he's more excited to hear Hibari's voice in his ear than he is to learn a Blood Art. Oh well. There's no use standing around here. "Let's do this thing shall we?" Tatsumi seems to think along the same lines. "I'll try my best to keep up."

The helicopter ride is full of chatter as Tatsumi tries to learn more about me. I answer his questions honestly and take the opportunity to ask some of my own. I've found out what his and the main motto of his unit is, "fight not to win, fight to not lose." It's pretty clever really, although it doesn't sound very good when you consider that death is involved. Fighting not to lose reeks of negativity. Regardless, if that's the motto that's kept these guys alive until now then I'm not going to slate it. The type of things he learned about me was like why I wear an eyepatch, I didn't show him the fake eye though, as well as if I have any living relatives. I said I have an Uncle, but it's been a while since I've talked with him. I wonder how he is. I'll have to call him after the big mission tomorrow. Moving on though, as we approach our mission site, the Valley of Ice, we get ready to engage with the mission. Already we can see that the Aragami are decently spread out. Thus, I tell Tatsumi that the plan is to take out the Aragami with extra sensitive hearing first: the Yaksha Raja.

When we land, the two of us make sure to grab the Yaksha Raja's attention. I shoot at it until my OP meter is depleted just to make sure that it definitely will follow. After the typical roar all these Aragami do when they've been hit or notice a God Eater, it starts to run towards us; it's thick tree-trunk-like legs stomping on the ground and creating a lot of sound. I'm glad that Sariels don't have the best of hearing otherwise it would have definitely noticed that. Regardless, the two of us continue pulling the bipedal Aragami away from the Saril until we can go no further. That's when we change to the offensive; I charge towards the beast and jump up, so my God Arc can meet its face. I can see that the Aragami is charging a pink orb at the end of one of its arms; ready to launch it to the ground. However, a quick backstep makes sure that the orb does not hit me as it launches the attack. Tatsumi strikes the Aragami's gun-like arm as it aims it towards me. It's easy to dodge this attack with a simple step to the side. It also takes a while to load up, so I only have to avoid walking into the path of the Yaksha Raja. Meanwhile, I can attack it freely until it has fired the shot. After backstepping away from the now enraged beast, I look briefly look at the display on my Arc.

"3%" I shout in surprise. After these few attacks, Blood Rage has only built up to three percent. I thought it would have been a lot more if I was honest. I guess it will just take a long time to build it up. With a sigh, I continue with the battle.

However, even after defeating the Yaksha Raja and the Sariel, the percentage of Blood Rage build up is only 20%. With a frustrated grunt, I try to ignore the fact that Blood Rage is really taking a while to build up. Once we get back to the Den, I set up another mission which yields the same victorious result. However, peering at the display again, I see that the percentage has only reached 40. I grunt in frustration again and hear Tatsumi coming up from behind me; having just learned how to use a Blood Art. The feeling that I got from seeing the last of the five manage to learn a Blood Art was one of pride. In such a short amount of time, the seemingly impossible has happened. Maybe it was because of the impending threat, which will happen tomorrow, but it has really brightened up my day; apart from seeing that the Blood Rage gauge is still really low. Is it because I'm not fighting very strong Aragami? We did just breeze through two missions but then how did Tatsumi develop a Blood Art. Oh well, there's no point complaining. Tatsumi stares at me for a few seconds.

"Damn… I can't believe it's only your first year too." He begins. "Not only did you get raised to Captain of the Special Forces, but even when you pitch in with the other squads you're still the ringer." Most of the time I'm the one in charge, but not all of the time. "Deep into my first year, I was struggling to go toe-to-toe with an Ogretail." He comments seemingly exaggerating. I give him an incredulous look.

"It doesn't seem like that." Surely he was only joking, right?

"Haha! Thanks, I appreciate it." He expresses his gratitude before looking straight ahead. "Heh. I don't like to be that guy, but… I think I've done well to come this far. To be honest, my compatibility rating with God Arcs is actually pretty… low. Like, dismally low." Really? I never would have thought it. "It was rough for a while. This giant thing just wouldn't listen to a damn word I said, no matter what I tried. In fact, I think my first instructor actually looked me in the eyes once and told me that I was the worst he'd ever seen. But I wouldn't give up. I practiced at nights and on off days and I sweat, and finally started, y'know, actually helping. At the same time, there's Kanon." He begins to trail off a bit. "She's got an incredible, amazing compatibility rating. She's a prodigy! But she's… she's not a great shot." It's easy to tell he's talking about her likelihood of hitting an ally more often than not. "Still, the day after she passed her test, her God Arc was like a part of her. Like she was born with it in her hand." He turns away with a wry smile on his face. "Haha, I was pretty jealous of her for a long time. But, in the end, I guess you've either got it or you don't." He turns back to me, the wry smile gone and his facial expression changes to one typical of an instructor. "But once you've been a God Eater for a while, once you've seen what you can do, none of that petty stuff matters anymore. You just gotta play well with the cards you're dealt." I see where he's going with this. I nod my head in understanding. "And I feel like I got a pretty solid set of cards… Who knows, maybe one day I'll wake up and my God Arc will just be done with me. Even then… Even if I couldn't be a God Eater anymore… I still want to protect everyone in the ghettos, in the frontier." He looks at me with a soft expression, but his features also show his determination to act on those words. "Hehehe, sorry about that. I guess I started rambling and couldn't stop myself." He turns towards me with a serious expression again. "Anyway, since I'm the last one to learn a Blood Art, are you ready for tomorrow? It's likely that we'll be out all day to fend off the herd. You'll need to pack everything you think you'll need." He's right. Tomorrow is where all of my hard work should pay off. Will we be successful in defending the branch? We have no choice but to say that we will otherwise the lives of a lot of other people will be ended; a lot of people may die. That could include us God Eaters, not just the civilians. Thus, I need to make sure I'm absolutely ready for this mission. I'm going to go to bed early just to make sure that I will be properly rested. I'm going to need all of my energy tomorrow, and perhaps even my Blood Rage ability to make sure we can get through it alive…


	100. Chapter 100 - Defence Unit Complete!

Chapter 100

DISCLAIMER: I DO NOT OWN THE GOD EATER FRANCHISE HOWEVER I DO OWN MY OC.

Also, please leave a review!

Name: Cedrick Esparza  
Gender: Male  
Hairstyle: Style 7 (Dark Brown)  
God Arc: Mechblade Vidofnir (Long Blade), F-SD Shot (Blast Gun), Kurogane Tower B (Tower Shield)  
Blood Art: Misty Moon III

A/N: Apologies about the late update; I'd lost the passion that I felt for God Eater. The main reason for that is probably because it took so long to do these missions in my Cedrick Esparza playthrough. I'm going to try and power through it for this chapter though.

"The enemy's main strength has passed the mountains and is now rapidly closing on the Far East Branch." Hibari calmly informs the Defence Unit and I as to the progress the Aragami herd is making. We were all given an early wakeup call in order to attend this briefing. Today, we aim to destroy the herd or else the Far East Branch may cease to be. From what I've heard, this sort of situation isn't uncommon in this branch. "Advance forces are currently deployed for diversionary operations in each tactical zone." She relays the information on her tablet. Once reaching the end, she lowers her tablet.

"I see." Director Sakaki's voice sounds serious as he changes from a slouched position to correct his posture, ready to speak to us. I stand at the front of the Defence Unit who align themselves linearly behind me; one long line. "It looks like we were just in time." As Sakaki continues, I can't help but smile. I thought the task of teaching five people to use either a Blood Art or Blood Bullets would never be possible. However, in two days we managed to achieve this. It was surprising, but the joy of it is the one emotion that I feel now, despite impending danger. "Thanks to Captain Cedrick's Evoke, you all now possess the power to combat the psion." As Sakaki sings my praises, I can't help but think that my ego would definitely risen to the next level if this were a video game. "Well done, all of you. You have my gratitude."

"As there are an overwhelming number of Aragami," Hibari picks up where she left off from, "you will have to conduct simultaneous operations. The Blood Captain will act as Field Commander over several crucial tactical zones. This will be a battle of attrition." I expected us to have to carry out more than one operation, but I didn't expect to be nominated as the commander for multiple areas. The joy that I had felt a moment ago begins to diminish over my new responsibility. It seems that wildly swinging at the Aragami won't be enough for me. I need to take command over several areas, and thus several groups of people.

"And this is where we will finish the fight." Sakaki continues, his tone suggests he's preparing to deliver the final words of the briefing. "Be safe out there. Everyone comes back alive."

"Yessir!" The Defence Unit speak up as they give a mid-torso salute to the director. I join them in the salute. With the briefing over, we all prepare for battle.

My first team to command comprises of the captain of the Defence Unit, Tatsumi, as well as a pink-haired, large breasted woman by the name of Kanon; we also have a woman of the opposite nature of Kanon whose sultry voice could drive many men wild, with me being the exception. This woman is Gina. Currently, we have just landed at the Abandoned Carrier and are waiting for the signal to commence the operation courtesy of Teruomi.

"All systems green. Monitoring areas, check." We begin walking towards where the Aragami are situated knowing that the operation is just about ready to commence. "Oooo-kay. All requisites clear. You are cleared to begin." I have to admire Teruomi's ability to stay calm about all of this. From what I'm aware of, he's only recently been training to be an operator and he's still in his early days of the job. He knows that he is partly responsible for any misdoings on the battlefield but despite that, he's very confident. Unlike the other operator that joined with him, Urara. I wonder if she'll be my operator for any of my upcoming battles. "Let's make this first mission a good one, all right, guys? Nice and clean." He adds as an after-comment as the four of us pick up our pace as we head towards the Aragami. First on our list to dismember is a Gboro-Gboro, a Yaksha and a Tezcatlipoca. Currently, only the two smaller Aragami can be seen which is promising. If we can defeat these two before the Tezcatlipoca shows up then we should be able to finish this mission cleanly without any accidents.

"You got it!" Kanon happily replies. Her excitement must be infectious as I begin to smile as we approach the beasts that are still out of earshot of us. "I'm feeling good today!"

"Hehe…" Gina chuckles slightly too. It seems that even she isn't immune to a giddy Kanon. "Three years since we've all stood here…" Neither Kanon or Tatsumi respond to Gina's musings, most likely taking it as her reflecting on memories. I choose not to respond either. Her words remind me of how much older they are compared to me, and yet I am leading this expedition. It seems surreal.

"Okay team." I speak up as we get closer to the beasts, the first of which being a Gboro-Gboro. "The gunners stay back and the melee attackers charge, all right?" I confirm with the other three on what our plan is.

"And please, Kanon," Tatsumi chips in with a wry, worried smile, "Please don't hit us." I have the feeling that if Tatsumi and I had stopped still, he would have had both hands connected as he prays to Kanon hoping that her affinity in hitting people had been cured.

"Hey! I'm a much better shot than what I used to be!" She shouts as Tatsumi and I keep running while the girls find a decent area to shoot from. Unfortunately for us, Kanon's shout caught the attention of more than just the rest of the team. The Gboro-Gboro and the Yaksha both turn their heads in our direction at Kanon's words. I merely sigh in disbelief. Of course, things won't go swimmingly.

"I guess a surprise attack is out of the question." Teruomi informs us, "They've noticed you." Tatsumi and I are forced to come to a stop as we quickly try and think of a new plan. The Gboro-Gboro charges towards us, but it doesn't manage to make it five metres away from its original position as bullets stream by us and hit the beast. "I'd recommend killing the Yaksha first. When they're by themselves they're usually pretty easy. But when they're with other Aragami they can be a pain in the butt." Teruomi informs us.

"It's a good a plan as any." I comment with a calculating gaze. The question is, how will we draw away the Yaksha so that it's easier to kill. With a sigh, I know there's only one option.

"Tatsumi, you take the Yaksha, I'll take the Gboro-Gboro. I'll try to lure fish face here away from the Yaksha to make it easier for the both of us." I speak of my plan and he smiles in confirmation.

"Fish face? Hahaha… I never thought I'd hear you say something like that." He chuckles to himself.

"We're wasting time. I have other places to be." I whisper to myself before charging towards the Gboro-Gboro which the girls have backed into a corner with their gun fire. I feel the gun fire stop as I work my way towards the aqua-based Aragami. It doesn't take long before I reach the beast which has since regained its composure. I manage to land only one solid hit on its dorsal fin before being forced to back away from its large jaws. Its lunge misses and I land a hit on its rear tail fin before almost being swept off of my feet as the Aragami thrashes from side to side. I deploy my shield to protect from any further erratic thrashing movements and tough through the force from its momentum which is transferred to me. The beast stops thrashing and takes a breath. The distance between us allows me to inject a muscle booster and a body booster to improve my attack and defence for less than a minute. I immediately go on the offensive as I want to make the most of my attack and defence boosts. I slash at its dorsal fin several times before changing to its rear fin and managing to break it. The monster coils back in pain and I go to deliver a painful blow.

"Yaksha coming your way!" Tatsumi shouts and I force myself to backstep several times and miss my chance of delivering a potentially fatal blow to the Gboro-Gboro. The Yaksha regroups with the aqua-based Aragami before extending its claws and running towards me, attempting to sweep every time it gets close. I manage to evade all of its sweeps, fortunately, but feel a large, solid ball of ice hit me from the side. I tumble to the ground and with a grunt I manage to get to my feet fairly quickly. I had dropped my guard against the Gboro-Gboro and it had hit me with a projectile.

"I need to be more aware." I grumble to myself as I feel a bullet collide with my back and begin to feel slightly more vitalised. I realise that one of the girls must have hit me with a healing bullet, or a Friend or Foe bullet which restores a bit of my energy. I backup slightly to see that Tatsumi has been keeping both of the Aragami at bay and he looks to be having a bit of a hard time. I know that he's capable of defeating them both by himself otherwise he wouldn't have become the captain of the Defence Unit. However, it's still my job to take down the Gboro-Gboro, so with a dash I pick up from where I left off; swinging at the monster and evading its attacks before I bring it down. I quickly let my arc devour its core before running to help Tatsumi. The Yaksha also appears to be on its last legs and with the four of us teaming up against it, it stood no chance. It falls to the ground with a large thud.

"The Tezcatlipoca has moved into the area. I suggest regrouping and forming a new plan." Teruomi announces the larger opponent's arrival. Sure enough, as soon as he says that, we hear a large thud in the distance. All it takes is one look from us to see that it has arrived. It hasn't noticed us yet though, but with the smaller fry out of the way, it should be easier for us to kill this Aragami. At Teruomi's words, the four of us meet up in the centre of the map.

"So, what's the plan then?" Tatsumi asks with a smile on his face, God Arc resting on his shoulder. He, nor the rest of us, look tired. It didn't take a lot of effort to kill the smaller Aragami, but it would have if the Tezcatlipoca had joined in the fight. However, because it was an easier fight, the same tactics might still work against the larger opponent.

"The same as it was just there. The gunners stay back, and the melee attacks go in at close range." It makes sense after all. Gina has a sniper rifle which is best for long distance, but while Kanon has a Blast gun, it would still be better for her to stay back for this fight. Against a towering enemy like the Tezcatlipoca, it's best to always stay light on your feet. Usually gunners need to stay rooted to the ground in order to have better accuracy. Such a luxury can't be guaranteed against tall Aragami such as this, which is why Kanon should stay back. Tatsumi and I are the melee attackers. I usually attack with both my blade and my gun, so because of that I can stay close to the target. Tatsumi doesn't have the ability to swap God Arc forms, neither do the others for that matter, but he has always used a melee weapon, so it only seems right for him to join me; he'd be useless otherwise. I relay this information back to my teammates.

"You've thought this through." Gina says with her sultry voice. I can't deny that my trousers became a little tighter at that but I quickly push the dirty thoughts out of my mind. Now that I know what Gina is actually like, the voice doesn't seem to bother me as much as it excites me. Emil's words ring in my head; he called me a sadist. I still don't believe that I am, but maybe that's why I'm beginning to enjoy hearing Gina's voice. A fellow sadist's voice as Emil would probably put it.

"Of course he has. He's the leader." Kanon's proud voice brings me out of my thoughts and back to reality.

"Well, that's enough of that." Tatsumi chips in before the situation worsens. He starts running towards the still oblivious Aragami in the distance. "We're wasting time. I have other places to be." He looks back at me with a wide, sinister smile as he says this, and I can't help but stare at him incredulously. I thought no one would have heard my previous muttering and he goes and tells me that he did hear it by throwing it back at me. It takes a couple of more seconds before I smile back and start running with him…

Ten minutes later, the Tezcatlipoca has been defeated. We're all out of breath due to the amount of fighting that it took to take down the large monster, but we're still able to complete more missions. We're not too tired, just out of breath. We allow ourselves to have a few minutes rest to regain our energy after the fight before we do anything else.

"We have some small blips on the scanner." Teruomi announces matter of factly. "A few stragglers left in your current region."

"What do you wanna do?" Kanon asks as she looks around at the three of us, confusion on her face.

"Let's send Captain Cedrick ahead." Gina quickly suggests with a glance towards me.

"Good call." Tatsumi agrees with her decision. "We'll play clean-up crew here." He looks back to me with a smile as he announces his intentions. It seems as though Tatsumi will be taking over as captain of this group. I smile at my teammates. They know that I'm the commander of multiple units, so it only makes sense for me to regroup with the other units and offer my services.

"Blood Captain, you are cleared to move into the next mission zone." Teruomi confirms the plan.

"Where is it?" I communicate back with him.

"A helicopter should be in the area to pick you up. You're going to Aegis Island." He informs me of my next destination. As far as I'm aware, there are only three God Eaters on Aegis Island; me included would make four. These people are: Brendan, Shun and Karel. I don't know what Aragami will be in their area, but I do know that the sooner I get there the better. Thus, with a swift goodbye to my current teammates, I coordinate with Teruomi on whereabouts the helicopter will be picking me up. Five minutes later, and a sufficient amount of time to regain a lot of my energy, the helicopter and I head towards Aegis Island…

Within a few more minutes, I've landed on the island and head towards the battlefield. Once there, I see Brendan, Shun and Karel waiting atop the battlefield and run over to them.

"I'm here. What are our opponents?" I ask slightly out of breath due to the running but getting straight to business.

"It's about time you showed up." Karel comments snidely but I choose to ignore it.

"Yeah, although it would be no problem if you didn't show up. More money for us that way." I also choose to ignore Shun's bratty comment. I turn to Brendan with a hopeful look in my eyes.

"We'll be up against two Sekhmets and two God Arc Soldiers of different variants." Brendan speaks up once he notices the look on my face, understanding that I wasn't going to get a response from the money-grubbing duo also on our team.

"Tsk. I'm not appropriately equipped to handle Sekhmets." My God Arc is of the Blaze and Spark attribute. To stand any real chance in damaging the Chi-You variants a God Arc of the Freeze attribute would be a lot better.

"Then I guess we'll be handling the Sekhmets." Karel nonchalantly speaks up, his posture signalling that he's ready to fight.

"Can you handle two God Arc Soldiers, Instructor?" Brendan asks with a raised eyebrow.

"I should be able to, but they might try and switch targets to somebody else. In that case, you'll need to always keep your guard up." I inform them all. After all, when you are up against numerous opponents, it is possible for the Aragami to switch targets in an attempt to take a God Eater by surprise. Like what happened earlier when the Yaksha that Tatsumi was fighting switched targets to me.

"As always." Karel replies as if he has heard all of this before.

"The main enemy strength is on the move…" I hear a female's voice through my earpiece. It doesn't take long to recognise it as Urara. She doesn't sound very nervous but knowing her she probably is. "They're headed right for the Den." As Urara says this, we immediately notice a Sekhmet enter our field of vision.

"They're not all coming at the same time?" I voice what I hope is the truth. In which case, it would be a lot easier of a fight.

"Everyone… Good luck." As Urara speaks, the four of us jump onto the battlefield and engage the Sekhmet with the hope of killing it before any other Aragami arrive. After all, why should we make this difficult for ourselves by waiting for all of our targets to show up before we fight?

"Hehe! I'll trash these losers!" Shun gives an enthusiastic response in return in what may be his own way in reassuring Urara that we'll get the job done.

"I kinda hoped we'd never have to defend this place." Brendan comments as we engage in battle. I choose to switch my God Arc to Gun Form for this battle as there are already two melee attackers on our team. Of course, when I run out of Oracle Points I will also partake in melee attacks so I can refill my Oracle Meter. As I fire Freeze Bullets towards the beast, Brendan and Shun back away from it as it quickly spins around in a circle and causes a whirlwind around it.

"Enough chatter, guys. Let's get to work." For once, I agree with Karel's words and continue barraging the winged humanoid with Freeze Bullets. After the whirlwind around the monster dissipates, Shun and Brendan get close and hack away at its flesh. In response, the Sekhmet launches itself into the air and spreads its wings as it glides towards us. Having run out of Oracle Points, I switch my God Arc to its Melee Form and deploy my shield to protect from the gliding attack. It lands about three metres away from me and, as it is recovering, I manage to land three hits on its wings. Just as quickly as it recovers though, it also launches an attack. It rears its wings back before slamming them into the ground in front of it, causing a whirlwind to spread in multiple directions. Unfortunately for me, the whirlwind picks me up from the ground and tosses me about five metres away where I land heavily on my back. As I pick myself up from the ground, I can feel a pain shoot up my back. Unlike earlier in the day when I was hit with recovery bullets, I know that's not going to happen now as Karel doesn't use those bullets. Instead, I inject myself with a Restore Pill to revitalise myself.

"Fireball incoming!" Brendan warns, and I deploy my shield seconds before a fireball hits it. Brushing off the damage, I go on the attack again, narrowly avoiding a larger fireball.

"We've just picked up a new Oracle Response." Urara's voice comes through my earpiece. "About medium sized." It will either be the other Sekhmet or one of the two God Arc Soldiers that we're scheduled to be fighting again. "Thirty seconds and counting. I hope you're ready. Here are the arrival coordinates." Urara informs us and tells us of where it will enter the battlefield. However, I'm not worried about where it will enter. I'm more concerned about when it will enter. Thirty seconds! That's not a lot of time at all, and this Sekhmet doesn't even look as though it's being pushed to its limit yet. I manage to hit the Sekhmet again, but my God Arc provides minimal damage, before having to deploy my shield as it brings its wings down towards me and creating a pool of fire at my feet. Thankfully, the shield blocked most of the attack, but I still get slightly hurt due to the flames under my feet. They dissipate quickly though.

"We can take a couple more, right?" Shun chips in positively and I must admit, it is what we need in this situation. I drop back from melee attacking and allow Brendan and Shun to have freer reign as I switch my Arc to its Gun Form, making sure to check the gauge on my Blood Rage meter. It reads as 90%. Hopefully, once this Aragami dies, it will reach 100% and then I can activate Blood Rage and unload a ton of damage at the remaining enemies. The Sekhmet lunges forward and takes Brendan by surprise. He tumbles to the ground but Shun is there to make sure that the Aragami can't deal more damage. Brendan quickly gets back to his feet before taking a Restore Pill. I continue unleashing Freeze bullets in the meantime.

"Ah!" Urara's worried voice startles me. "A mid-level hostile just arrived! There are the coordinates." I look in the direction in which the coordinates were set and see another Sekhmet arrive.

"What?!" That was thirty seconds? Damn! This is going to get very complicated! As the second Sekhmet enters the battlefield, it already notices us and begins preparing a gliding attack. I look at the first Sekhmet and see it preoccupied with Brendan and Shun. I look back to the second Sekhmet and see it aiming towards the two melee attackers. "Gliding attack!" I shout to them and they back off from their target, deploying their shields just as the second Sekhmet enters the midst. Suddenly, I feel a fire ball hit me square in the chest. The flames singe my shirt but quickly evaporate before they do too much damage to me.

"Hurry and dodge!" I hear Karel shout and look around, only to realise that a Sekhmet is gliding towards me. While on the ground, I'm forced to deploy my shield and am sent flying backwards as the momentum from the Sekhmet is passed onto me. Unfortunately, I'm sent flying in the same direction the Sekhmet is heading so I don't have long before it delivers a flaming kick to my chest and sends me down.

"Gah!" I can't help but shout in pain as I still feel the burns it inflicted me with. I feel my vision beginning to turn black.

"The Blood Captain is down! Somebody help him!" I hear Urara through my earpiece and manage to see Shun running towards me before my vision does turn black…

What feels like ten minutes later but what is probably only ten seconds in reality, I feel my vision coming back to me as well as feeling a hand on my back.

"Get back up! We don't have much time before the stun grenade wears off!" It takes a couple of seconds before I understand the significance of his words and push myself off of the ground. Shun has since left my side to fend off the Sekhmet. I no longer know which Sekhmet was the first one to arrive, but I do know one thing.

"I fucking hate Sekhmets!" I shout before righting myself and flying into a fit of rage at the closest Sekhmet. Although my Arc isn't appropriately equipped for the fight, my adrenaline-boosted attacks seem to be doing more damage than before the adrenaline boost.

"The bond is broken!" Urara informs us, and I see parts of the Sekhmet's wings fall to the ground. It coils back in pain and I continue my onslaught for another few seconds before forcing myself to step backwards, avoiding another gliding attack from the other Sekhmet.

"Mid-sized combatant approaching the region. At least, that's what the scouts say." Urara informs us, and it seems as though this mission is only going to get harder. "One… One minute ETA. Are you all ready? I'm sending the arrival coordinates to you right now." As I check the arrival coordinates and find out that the new Aragami will be arriving in the same place that these Sekhmets arrived, I also check my Blood Rage meter. I can't help but mumble complaints to myself as the meter reads that it has only gained 2% since the last time I checked. Although, I suppose that is to be expected since I'm not inflicting a lot of damage to the Sekhmets with my ill-equipped God Arc. Nevertheless, I still fight the winged monsters in front of me, going on the defence and offence when necessary. "We just picked up a new Oracle Response. About medium sized." Urara speaks up again.

"Already?!" Are these two Aragami holding hands or something?! They can't go anywhere without each other? Knowing that the two Sekhmets have already arrived, these Aragami must be the God Arc Soldiers. At least my Arc will have an easier time defeating them. "It will arrive at these coordinates." After a quick check, I realise that these God Arc Soldiers will arrive in the same place and at the same time. With a heavy sigh, I try and pour ore energy into my attacks hoping that the increased ferocity will deal some extra damage.

Sure enough, one minute later, the two God Arc Soldiers arrive and instantly join in with the fight.

"We act on the plan now!" I shout to my comrades. Now that the God Arc Soldiers have appeared, I can fight them while the others take care of the weakened Sekhmets. It shouldn't be too long before they can help me with my new targets, but I may not even need their help. My God Arc is effective against these chunks of metal-gained-consciousnesses. So, I quickly disengage from the Sekhmets and land in a hit on the closest God Arc Soldier, which happens to be a Buster Arc Soldier, before it can focus its attention on where my other three team members are. Similarly, I execute the same tactic against the Blade Arc Soldier behind it and make sure I have both of their attention. After they do their little roar that all Aragami do before battle, I easily evade a low swinging God Arc as well as a God Arc that slams onto the ground from quite a height. I land another couple of blows on both Aragami before having to dodge again; this time I dodge a backflip performed by one of the Soldiers as well as a few shots from the other. As soon as I correct my positioning, I unleash several more direct hits to the God Arc Soldier that likes to show off his acrobatic skills. I avoid another couple of wild swings from the beasts before checking the Blood Rage meter.

"99%!" I shout happily and begin to feel a warmth through my body. I look back towards my targets with a threatening smile as I continue attacking and dodging where appropriate. After another minute of doing so, I check the meter again. The first bar has filled up completely while about 5% of the next bar has also filled. I press the button on my God Arc which activates Blood Rage and an almost completely transparent, yellow cylinder surrounds me. I can't help but laugh as the God Arc Soldiers' attacks do nothing while I'm surrounded by this cylinder. Since this is only my second time activating Blood Rage, I follow all of the instructions such as selecting a pledge.

"What are you doing?" I hear Karel's voice and look in the direction I heard it from. I see him staring at me from across the other side of the battlefield. Shun and Brendan having just defeated both of the Sekhmets and are busy extracting their cores. Even from this distance, I can see the interest in his eyes. He seems to genuinely want to know what I'm doing.

"You'll see soon. Now help me inflict some damage to these Aragami." I reply with a wide smile on my face which seems to slightly disturb Karel as he wrinkles his eyes in disgust.

"Whatever." It seems that he isn't disgusted with my smile, maybe he's disgusted that I haven't killed these Aragami yet. I noticed that Shun and Brendan also have intrigued looks on their faces as they see me surrounded by the almost completely transparent cylinder. Either that, or the fact that the God Arc Soldiers' weapons do nothing to harm me. I choose my pledges and the cylinder disappears before a timer counts down from three. Not even waiting for the timer to reach zero, I start hacking and slashing at the God Arc Soldiers and feel my energy build up with each slash. In less than thirty seconds, I check my God Arc and see that the pledges have almost been met. I charge up a devour on my God Arc and then the fun begins.

"This is the reward for Evoke being my Blood Power!" I excitedly shout with a smile on my face and feel my energy concentrating to my back. I continue to smile despite the slight bit of discomfort caused by the golden wheel that protrudes from my back. This will be the first time I've used this ability against real opponents, so I don't want it to go to waste. As soon as I feel that I've entered Blood Rage, I immediately go on the attack. I notice that my attacks are the only ones that connect with the Aragami and spare a brief look back to see my three teammates staring in disbelief. "Are you gonna stare or are you gonna help?" I say pretty cockily which seems to snap them out of their disbelief. I relentlessly attack the Aragami and it is only seconds later that the first God Arc Soldier falls. About twenty seconds after that one, the other falls. I quickly extract their materials, Blood Rage still in effect.

"What is that?" Shun asks wide-eyed and in a shocked voice, but he also seems to be in awe. Even Brendan has a quizzical look on his face. Karel also seems to be interested although his face doesn't show it.

"This is Blood Rage. Courtesy of Licca. It turns out that I can use my Blood Power with my God Arc to create this, although it only lasts for a short burst of time." While I explain this, the golden wheel on my back dissipates and the energy that I once has drastically decreases. After explaining, I'm forced to hold my knees to keep standing as I pant to regain energy. "As you can see," I pant. "During the use of Blood Rage, I don't use up any stamina." I say between pants. "But once I've finished, all of the energy feels like it's been sucked out of me." I pant several more times before correcting my stance, standing up straight having regained enough energy to do at least that much.

"I can tell." Brendan gives me his sympathy and I feel terrible for receiving it. "Will you be able to handle the rest of the missions?" He asks with concern lacing his voice.

"Yeah, I'll manage. I won't be able to use Blood Rage for a while anyway." I dismiss his worries.

"Captain, Karel, Shun… New orders." Urara takes our attention away from the conversation. "Please proceed to the Far East Branch." Her words concern me. It means that the Aragami have gotten closer to the Branch, but how close have they gotten. "Brendan, you're to rally up with Tatsumi and serve as a distraction to the main Aragami force." Urara also gives Brendan his new orders.

"Everyone…" Brendan speaks up with a slight hint of fear in his voice. "Keep our home safe." He says this before running away from the battlefield. Most likely to meet up with Tatsumi. The three of us, on the other hand, head in the opposite direction and wait for a helicopter to take us to our next battlefield….

When we arrive at our next battlefield, which turns out to be the Scarred Barricade, we see Gina waiting for us as she scans the area below. When we catch up, we understand why she was scanning the area instead of engaging the Aragami. Below us there are two Kongou and some strange Aragami that I've rarely seen. I may have fought one once before, but that would have only been in the past two days. I believe it is called a Spartacus. Before we can even start making a plan, Hibari contacts us,

"The decoy operation managed to split the enemy. The first wave is on the way, and it's gonna hit hard." She informs us that Brendan and Tatsumi's group were successful in separating the remaining members of the herd. "Stand your ground!"

"Hehe… Here they come." Gina says this as all of the Aragami begin to group up beneath us.

"More fighting? What? Can't we have like a break or something?" Shun complains like a brat despite knowing what we must do to defend the branch.

"Hey Shun, complain more." Karel speaks up humorously and I can't supress a smile.

"It's not complaining! Shut up!" Shun retaliates, embarrassed at Karel's words.

"Hm… Better." Again, my smile widens but I know that we have to act before they can deal any more damage to the battlefield.

"Okay guys let's start fighting already." I jump down to leave no room for arguing and quickly hear the sounds of the others jumping down. Thankfully, neither the two Kongou or the Spartacus hear us. "The Spartacus is the largest obstacle here." I turn towards my teammates. "Karel, Shun, you like raking in the dough, right?" I wait for them to look at me before continuing. "Do you think you can handle the Spartacus while Gina and I handle the two Kongou?" It was probably the easiest way to deal with this situation. Karel and Shun like to fight opponents that give them large monetary value, so if I gave them the two Kongou to sight then they'd be more likely to refuse my plan. Now that I think of this though, we probably should have discussed this before entering the battlefield.

"That thing's a psion, right?" Karel asks. "I'll definitely get a lot of money for killing that." He thinks aloud, I highly doubt he was waiting for a response. "You might as well let Shun help you with the Kongou. He'll only get in my way, otherwise." I merely smile at his words as I know that this will start another argument between the two of them. I was right. They go back and forth to each other before Karel gives in. "Fine but stay out of my way. You'll get 40% of the money we get." Knowing that Karel and Shun have agreed to take on the psion, I signal to Gina that we should get a move on. We run towards our targets and I spare a glance at Shun and Karel. They've already engaged the Spartacus and seem to be doing well. Despite the amount of arguments they have, they do get along well with each other. Regardless, I turn my attention to the Kongou in front of me that has its back to me, unaware that I'm right behind it. I manage to land a couple of strikes before its turns around and roars at me. I also land a hit on its face before moving away from its lunging attack.

"Oracle response is… rising! The enemy's getting stronger!" Hibari informs us through our earpieces and I spare a glance over to the Spartacus to see it collecting orbs with its mouth wide open, also wide open to Shun's attacks which seem to be having very little effect. I turn my attention back to the Kongou in front of me to see some orbs coming off of it.

"It's taking Oralce from all the others!" Karel deduces in a slight moment of panic as he relentlessly shoots at the Spartacus' face. I continue fighting against the Kongou in front of me. If we can kill the two Kongou then it shouldn't be able to absorb any more Oracle. Thus, I swipe, slash and dash at the Kongou. It's only a few seconds later that the Spartacus stops absorbing Oracle but it appears to have grown wings made out of the Oracle cells it absorbed.

"A little posion should quieten you down." I hear Karel speak his intentions as I assume he fires a poison bullet at the larger Aragami. I, on the other hand, continue my onslaught. As the fight progresses, I find myself having to deploy my shield more often as the Kongou seems to love its rolling attacks. I'm just thankful that it isn't a Fierce Kongou otherwise it would have done a lot more damage. It collides with my shield and sends me back a few metres. I manage to stop myself from being carried with the momentum of the Kongou by pushing against my shield and thus against the Kongou. Before I can go on the attack, I manage to catch a glimpse of the Spartacus propelling itself in my direction. I don't let my shield down as I have no idea what to prepare for, when suddenly a large collection of what seems to be a blue fire spawns in front of me as the Spartacus moves its claws outwards. It leaves itself wide open in response, but I choose not to attack and instead keep my shield deployed, walking backwards while doing so. After I think that I've covered enough distance to get away from him, I go back to attacking the Kongou which thought it could run away from me while I was distracted with the larger Aragami. I manage to stop it from running by slashing my sword at the monkey-like beast.

"Its bond is broken!" Hibari notices what I do and I see the exposed pipes on its back. Before it turns around, I manage to land another hit on the monster which seems to do severe damage. Before the monster can retaliate, I grab a stun grenade.

"Stun grenade!" I shout to warn the others seconds before I throw it down on the floor. While the Aragami are suffering from the grenade, I choose to use a muscle booster as well as a body booster. The Kongou manages to break free from its stun and tries to attack me. I sidestep the attack and sidestep again so that I can now clearly see its back. I slash it twice before the Kongou spins around again and I repeat the process. It's only a minute later that it falls to my blade and I extract its core. I look to see how Gina is doing, and after a bit of searching for her I notice that her Kongou's face bond has become unbound. I rush over to help her. I can feel that the effects of the muscle booster has worn off as soon as I land a hit on the Kongou but that doesn't make me stop attacking.

"It's absorbing Oracle again!" Hibari announces and I see orbs of energy rise from the remaining Kongou's back. I grit my teeth and choose to switch targets to the Spartacus, jumping into the air and landing a couple of swings to its face before repeating the process. Due to my efforts, the Spartacus stops absorbing Oracle and looks as though it is choking. I also notice that the Spartacus doesn't gain those Oracle wings and I smile in response.

"So, there is a way to stop it absorbing Oracle." I mumble to myself. I'm sure Karel and Shun have seen what just happened so they know now how they can stop the Spartacus from gaining energy.

"Gina is down!" I hear Hibari and turn towards the girl in question to see the Kongou approaching her prone form. I change my Arc to Gun Form and fire a few shots at it before deciding to use another stun grenade. I repeat my warning before throwing it down and heading towards Gina. I place a hand on her back and deploy a Restore Post under her to help her recover. However, it isn't until she gets up that I realise that I placed my hand on her lower back – the part that her jacket doesn't cover. I can't help but think about how curved her back was but a quick shake of my head takes my attention back to the situation at hand. Although if she was lying on her front and I was to touch her stomach, then I probably wouldn't have been able to take my hand off of her.

"Thanks!" Gina gives me her gratitude which forces me to get my mind out of the gutter, only this time it stays out. I return my attention back to the Kongou which has just recovered from the stun grenade. I decide to slash at its face a couple of times while it is readying a spinning attack. I easily block its attack by deploying my shield before returning to slash at it. It doesn't take much longer before it drops to the ground, the weight of its body being too much for it to handle in its exhausted state. Gina and I fire point blank bullets at its face which serves to bring its life to an end. I quickly extract its core, in lieu of Gina, before turning to help Karel and Shun with the only remaining enemy of the first wave, the Spartacus. Now that it isn't able to absorb Oracle from the two Kongou, it is a lot easier to beat. While it does still try and absorb Oracle, the four of us are easily able to stop it from doing so. Thus, it draws its last breath a mere five minutes later.

"That one was not… quite so easy…" Karel speaks between pants. We can finally have a little break before the next wave comes.

"Hey Karl, complain more." I can't help but laugh at Gina's reuse of Karel's earlier words. Although Karel doesn't seem to find the humour in them.

"Not funny." He utters as he regains his breath.

"Brendan calling in. The second wave is on us! Have you gotten past the first?" Brendan's voice comes through our earpieces.

"Haha! You call that a wave? Ha! You could ask their corpses." I don't share the same response as Shun but he confirms that we've defeated the first wave.

"So… that's a yes? Good to hear." Tatsumi now communicates with us.

"Don't worry, guys! Backup Kanon is on the way!" Kanon also chips in, communicating with us through our earpieces too. After Kanon speaks up, Hibari informs my three teammates that they can rest from battle and tells them to check on the civilians. She also informs me that I will need to defeat the second wave with Tatsumi, Brendan and Kanon. She also informs me that this should be the last mission to complete as the enemy's forces has been severely weakened. This will be the last hurdle. For that reason, I decide to wait in the same place that Gina waited for Karel, Shun and I before this mission.

Approximately ten minutes later, the group of Tatsumi, Brendan and Kanon all come up to me. Within those ten minutes, a Marduk has since appeared but hasn't begun to savagely attack the battlefield.

"This should be the last of their forces! Good hunting, Captain!" Hibari informs us and wishes us the best of luck.

"Hey Captain," I turn to Tatsumi and only just realise how tired he appears to be. Brendan shares his same fatigue, while Kanon looks like she's still got some fight left in her. "I hate to ask you to carry me, but… Don't leave me out here, okay?"

"Not a chance! We'll do everything we can!" Kanon enthusiastically speaks up and I'm glad she does.

"This siege ends here." Brendan replies between his fatigued pants.

"Cedrick," Tatsumi speak up again, "I heard from Brendan that you used something called Blood Rage." I look at Brendan as Tatsumi mentions his name. "Is it possible for you to use it again? He said that it doesn't require the use of any stamina." At his words, I check the Blood Rage Meter on my God Arc. It reads as 62%.

"It's a possibility; the meter is over halfway full. We might not be able to rely on it though. The meter fills itself during the fight, there's no guarantee that it will reach 100% by the time the mission is over with."

"So you're confident that we'll be able to beat the second wave without the use of your Blood Rage, Instructor?" Brendan speaks up and I merely give a tired smile.

"I hope so, but if the meter does fill up then I'll definitely use it." I give him my reply.

"Wait wait wait." I turn towards Kanon as she expresses her confusion. "What's Blood Rage? Is that a new power?" She smiles widely as she realises what I'm capable of. She even squeals in glee. "Wow! You're so cool, instructor!"

"Anyway," Tatsumi puts us back on track and thus takes us away from the tangent of my Blood Rage. "We should get a move on." He jumps down, quickly followed by Brendan and then Kanon. As they do so, I can't help but think to myself about my own unit. I haven't heard from my own unit at all during these missions. I can only hope that they're doing well. I wonder what they're doing. Since this is the last wave, are they able to have a rest? Are they all injury-free? God, I hope so. I jump down from the ledge and engage in battle with the Marduk.

Before I can even land a hit, it backflips away and causes more distance between the four of us and it. As we get in close, the monster tries to swipe at us. We easily dodge and I see a beam of ice being shot from Kanon's God Arc. The Marduk tries to backflip away from the danger but Brendan and I manage to land a few solid hits to its legs, making it stumble and preventing it from backflipping. It quickly spins around in our direction and it decides to execute a lunging attack at Brendan. He barely manages to deploy his shield in time before he drops his guard – unaware that the beast was about to lunge again. Tatsumi manages to get in front of him before the Aragami can get him though, deploying his shield and protecting the both of them in the progress. Instead, I opt to run to the other side of the beast and manage to land another slash to its leg before I jump up and feel something hit me in the back.

"Aaargh!" It's a direct hit; it feels like I've been trampled on and as soon as somebody speaks up, that's when I know what hit me.

"Stay out of my line of fire, Instructor!" At Kanon's words, I know that she has hit me with a bullet meant to be for the Aragami. Unfortunately for me, she doesn't have the best aiming in the world. I mange to climb to my feet, only to move around to the other side of the Aragami where Kanon can't hit me accidentally. Coincidentally, I find Brendan and Tatsumi also around this side of the Aragami.

"She still hasn't gotten over her tendency for friendly fire?" Brendan asks plainly although I see some sympathy in his eyes.

"Come on, Brendan. We have Kanon on our team. Somebody was bound to be hit sooner or later." Tatsumi reasons before turning to me. "I'm surprised that none of us were hit during the first operation." I ignore Tatsumi and instead focus on the downed Marduk in front of me. It explains why we were able to talk freely like that, but the Marduk looks like its far from being defeated. It clambers back to its feet despite the melee strikes of Tatsumi, Brendan and I before roaring very loudly. The four of us choose to ignore it and continue pouring all of our strength into our attacks. However, choosing to ignore the Marduk's roar is probably where this mission began to take a turn for the worse. Within a minute or so, two Fierce Kongou emerged onto the battlefield without any warning. It may be safe to assume that the Marduk called in for some support, hence its roar.

"Now what do we do?" Kanon seems frightened at the unplanned arrival of the newcomers. I really don't want to fight any Fierce Kongou but I might be the most energised of all four of us. Plus, I'm able to use Blood Rage which the others cannot do which doesn't require the expenditure of stamina. The best course of action may be for me to take on both of the Fierce Kongou by myself.

"Kanon, we'll take them." I grumble out the instructions, not happy at all with the turn of events. "Brendan, Tatsumi, as soon as you've finished with the Marduk, help us with the Fierce Kongou." There was no way in hell that I'd manage to survive fighting both Fierce Kongou at the same time without at least some help, hence why Kanon is with me. I disengage from battle with the Marduk and head towards the two Fierce Kongou. "Kanon, prepare a lot of healing bullets." If I'm going to fight these two by myself, I'm going to give it all I've got which is why I inject myself with another muscle booster and body booster. I'm going to constantly go on the offensive and I need Kanon to provide me with healing bullets to do so. I'm already beginning to tire, so it will be best to get this job done quickly.

Within seconds of reaching the two Fierce Kongou, I dish out slashes back and forth between the two and only dodge when I know I need to. For all of the weaker attacks, I let them hit me. It only infuriates me more with each hit. I also hope that by being hit with these weaker attacks, my Blood Rage meter will be filled easier. Somewhere in the back of my mind, I doubt that it will fill quicker, but the fact that Kanon is providing me with healing support is enough for me to not think about that. All I'm doing is hacking and slashing at all of the limbs of the two monkey-monsters. Even when I'm hit by attacks, Kanon always heals me afterwards. It's definitely reassuring to know that I have this support, so much so that I don't need to pay much attention to my defence. Nevertheless, I keep injecting myself with muscle boosters and body boosters until I run out. To fight these Fierce Kongou alone, I've already injected myself with eight muscle boosters and the same amount of body boosters. That's the most I've ever used in a single operation. The previous record being one of each. Regardless, it isn't until I've used up all of those boosters that I realise how ineffective my attacks were. I've already dealt a fair deal of damage, but if my God Arc was able to take advantage of a Fierce Kongou's weakness, the Divine attribute, then they would have already been killed by now. Unfortunately, it seems as though I've only managed to chip away their health to about 50% and I'm struggling to stand on my feet. I pant heavily and can't even manage to block one of the Fierce Kongou rolling towards me. I'm only just able to move out of the way of being flattened by its body but am still hit by the electricity that's pouring from it. The only thing keeping me alive right now is the health support that Kanon is giving me. She's also cheering for me to give it my all, but I can't hear anything at all over the sound of my heart beating. Unfortunately for me, the one thing that Kanon cannot heal is my stamina. And so, as I lie on the ground, unable to get up, I press the button on my God Arc and hope that the Blood Rage meter has been filled. I close my eyes as I press the button, not wanting to see whether it is successful or not. Through my tightly clenched eyes, images of my life come back at me in full force. The murder of my parents, the years that I lived with my uncle, making friends with everyone I'm friends with now, Ciel's rejection of my love for her, and finally, this moment. Holding my breath, I open my eyes…

To my utter delight, I see that the yellow, transparent cylinder covers me from head-to-toe once again and I can't feel any more happy than I am now. I clamber to my feet and smile as the attacks from both of the Fierce Kongou do nothing to me. However, I'm not the only one that realises that. The two Kongou decide to turn their attention away from me and instead decide to target the one that is constantly shooting healing bullets at me. They turn towards Kanon and begin rolling up into two balls.

"Move Kanon!" I shout at her before quickly checking the display on my God Arc and selecting my pledges. If I can fulfil them, my damage output will be 500%. Again, to my utter delight, I see that Tatsumi and Brendan have finished off the Marduk and are now distracting the two Fierce Kongou. I also notice Kanon running towards me and see her mouth move. I can't hear what she's saying due to the sound of my heartbeat, but I think I know what she is talking about. "This… is Blood Rage." I can't help but smile as the timer begins to count down, the only way I know that it is counting is by viewing my God Arc's display. "Keep up with the recovery bullets!" I shout to Kanon before joining the weary Tatsumi and Brendan in battle. It's clear that they are struggling against the two Aragami as they deploy their shields to protect themselves from further damage. Their legs are just about to give out and I cannot blame them. They definitely deserve a rest after this whole ordeal. Which is why I cannot be happier that these Aragami are the last to die. "Perform a devour!" I shout to the two as I begin listing Blood Rage's requisites. "Deal 8350 damage!" I slash at both of the Aragami as I shout. "And break two bonds!" The last requisite will prove to be the hardest, but I know that I've been slashing at both of the monsters' forearms the most, so it should be easier to break those bonds. And thankfully, with three seconds left on the clock, all requirements have been met. I feel the golden wheel emerge from my back and can't help but notice that with each of my movements, a black and golden trail follows me. I instantly unleash havoc on the two Fierce Kongou, aiming for their forearms again. Thankfully, since this is the second time that Brendan has saw me use this, he uses a stun grenade to prevent the Aragami from running away and continually expose themselves to the danger that I've become. After a slight bit of shock from Tatsumi, he also joins in by slashing at the Aragami. Even Kanon goes on the offensive, the rest of us make sure to stay out of her way. And eventually, both of the Aragami fall to the ground no longer moving. I watch as Tatsumi and Brendan extract their cores while my Blood Rage wears off and I crumble onto the ground, lying on my back as I try to breathe in as much air as I can; my eyes tightly shut and myself being in a similar state to what I was in before I used Blood Rage.

"That… That's it! You did it! Operation complete!" As I regain my hearing, I hear Hibari informing us that the job is done and I can't help the smile that spreads on my face. I open my eyes again, still panting but not as heavily, and see my three teammates around me. The two melee attacks, Tatsumi and Brendan, sitting on the ground as they regain their energy while Kanon leans on her knees, slightly panting as well.

"Oh yeah!" I hear Shun through what I assume is the same voice line as Hibari's.

"Hehe… well done." Gina speak up as well. The three of them mustn't have been able to rest and instead decided to surround Gina and see how well the four of us were doing. I assume Karel is with them anyway, even if he doesn't want to admit that he was worried either about us or the mission.

"We did a pretty damn good job." Brendan speaks up as he clambers back to his feet. In the meantime, I manage to sit up, still panting. Karel also says something, but I don't quite catch what it is.

"Hibari, you still there?"

"Yes, Tatsumi?" Hibari responds in a voice that seems to exude _proceed with caution_.

"We're coming home." Tatsumi replies and I can hear the smile on his face without actually seeing it.

"I'll be right here waiting to welcome you back!" Hibari replies and I can hear Tatsumi shuffling from beside me. He climbs to his feet and I decide to get back to mine.

"Instructor! That was so cool!" As soon as Kanon has regained her breath, she almost loses again due to her excitement of seeing me activate Blood Rage. She almost bounces in front of me to make sure I hear what she was saying.

"I have to admit, even though Brendan told me about how you were unable to be damaged, I didn't expect that to be true." I turn to Tatsumi and see a smile on his face. "Hey, you think we could do that?" He looks hopeful and I turn to see Brendan and Kanon also sharing the same look.

"Can we?" Kanon asks excitedly, I'm not even sure how Blood Rage would work with a God Arc in Gun Form.

"Unfortunately, no." I feel bad that I have to tell them that, especially since they visibly look downhearted. "It's only because of my Blood Power Evoke that I'm able to bring out the best in my God Arc. Even my unit can't use it."

"So, it's like your special power?" Kanon looks confused but excited at the same time. I nod my head in confirmation. I don't let her continue speaking though,

"We should get back home. It would be dangerous to use up what little energy we have left and have to be carried off of the battlefield by the others." I have no doubt that my Blood unit would want to have some words with me if that were that case.

"You're right. We should head back." Brendan agrees with me and we all begin a slow walk back to the Den. It isn't far away, but due to our slow pace it will take at least 15 minutes to walk back.

Sure enough, by the time we get back and manage to walk into the lounge we already see the rest of the squad. I almost fall onto my seat and Kanon does the same on the couch next to me while Brendan sits down beside her. Shun, Karel and Gina sit opposite them. Tatsumi decides to head over to Mutsumi for some reason. It isn't until after Tatsumi comes back and gives us all a drink that I understand why he went to see Mutsumi. I take it with a 'thank you' before I open it and give a long drink. I must have drunk half of the can by the time I stopped myself. The ice-cold taste of a fizzy drink slides down my throat and I couldn't be any happier in that moment.

"I'd like to propose this toast to the God Eater that made our victory possible." I turn my head to Tatsumi standing in front of the TV and thus across from me as he speaks up. "Ladies and gents give it up for Captain Cedrick Esparza of the Blood Unit!" He speaks with a wide and grateful smile with his can held at an arm's length. His words don't hit me until the rest of the group responds with a "Cheers!" I don't even realise that I had raised my arm out in the same gesture until after it happens. I'm grateful that they decided to thank me for my efforts. It was definitely hard to have to execute multiple tough missions in three days, but I won't let it get to my head. I'll gratefully accept their gratefulness. Seconds later, Mutsumi arrives with a few plates full of food. One plate is piled high with chicken while the other two plates contain a cake each. I have no idea how she can carry all the plates like that but don't decide to question it. She places all of the plates onto the table before giving a smile and leaving us. After that, everyone breaks into conversation. I decide to help myself to a slice of cake while everyone is talking to each other. Tatsumi has since moved from his position in front of the television and is instead leading on the back of the couch between Kanon and Brendan.

"You're getting better, I guess, but accuracy is still not your strong suit." I can't help but grimace at that and Tatsumi spares me a look of sympathy.

"What? Really?" Kanon tilts her head to the side cutely but I don't see how she can disagree. She hit her instructor with a bullet. Surely she can't complain. "But I've been practicing really hard! Plus, I'm using super-powerful ammo!" That's probably why I screamed in pain if I'm honest.

"That's what makes it absolutely terrifying." I smile at Brendan's words. "Not gonna lie, you almost blew me to smithereens. I feel sorry for Instructor." He's still going to refer to me as that? Well, I don't have a problem with it. Kanon has the nerve to contort her face into one that suggests that she disagrees.

"Well it just needs work, right?" Tatsumi tries to steer the conversation away from something that could cause someone to be upset; probably Kanon. I find it funny that he's looking to the floor as he says this. "Some practice, some training, a minor miracle." Tatsumi grins at Kanon, teasing her while my smile suddenly doubles in size at Tatsumi's words. I must really like jokes that come out of nowhere or have no set up.

"You make enough cash out there?" Gina asks Karel and I'm intrigued in this conversation. Albeit, I do feel weird that I haven't spoken a word at all since I came back to the Den. My smile fades as I listen to their conversation.

"Yeah," Karel sounds surprisingly positive, "I guess you could say I did all right for myself."

"Ha! Only all right? I was raking in the dough!" Shun chips into their conversation.

"Oh, that's excellent. Then you can finally pay me back all the money I lent you." Karel's quick and witty response stops the smile from leaving my face. Gina laughs at his words too while Shun is shocked to hear them.

"What?! Come on! Why're you ruining everyone's good time?" He replies and not too long after, the operators arrive at our little get-together. We all chat for a little while longer until someone else arrives.

"I must say," Director Sakaki speaks up and announces to all of his that he wishes to speak. "Truly excellent work, everyone. Well done."

"Thanks to you, Director Sakaki." Hibari is the first to speak up while Brendan stands up from his seat.

"At ease, at ease." The director is quick to stop Brendan from moving anywhere so he stands there awkwardly. "I come bearing news for the Defence Unit."

"What kind of news, sir?" Brendan is intrigued in the conversation. Meanwhile, I ease myself into my seat even more as I know this news isn't for me.

"As you know, the construction of new satellite bases is our most demanding task." Sakaki explains. "To secure the future of the Far East and protect our people, it is crucial that our very best defend them. Karel, Gina, Shun… And of course, Tatsumi, Brendan…" He looks at the individuals as he speaks their names. I can see his gaze rest on Kanon before returning to Brendan. "I hereby promote you all to the rank of Captain. From this moment forward, each of you will lead your own unit." Well, that was certainly a surprise. I didn't expect to see them all be raised to the same rank that I am with my own unit.

"Whoa! I'm gonna be a captain! Hell yeah!" Shun's surprise can be told in his words but he also sounds excited.

"That's absolutely terrifying." Karel is quick to get a joke in. I can't help but smile at it either.

"Say that again!" Shun replies as Gina, between them, begins giggling to herself.

"So… that's cool." Tatsumi speaks up, an arm behind his head indicating his nervousness or perhaps disappointment. "I guess I just keep ding what I've been doing. Double-Captain-Tatsumi!" He removes his arm from behind his head as he finished speaking.

"Not quite, Tatsumi. As well as captaining your unit, you will also take command of the entire defence force." Now there's something I didn't expect to hear, but he does seem suited to lead the entire fleet.

"Wait, wait, what? Seriously?" Tatsumi is also surprised.

"Wow, Tatsumi!" Kanon looks at him in awe. "You've got your work cut out for you."

"Indeed he does, Kanon. I assume you've no ambition to sit calmly behind a desk away from the front lines." Sakaki speaks to Tatsumi again.

"No, sir! Thank you, Director. This… This is incredible!"

"Hold on." We all turn to Karel as he speaks. "I'll accept this promotion only if the pay is decent." He just loves money, doesn't he? "Just how much will I make?"

"Well, that's up to you. In the future, you'll decide for yourself if you wish to take on psion extermination tasks." Sakaki is quick to respond and responds as if he expected the question. "To that end, I suppose the sky's the limit."

"Hmmm… all right. I'm willing to give it a try." Karel replies indifferently although it looks like he genuinely thought about turning down the promotion.

"That'll be all for now. My apologies for the intrusion. Continue your celebration." He leaves the lounge with those words and silence falls upon the group.

"Captain, huh?" Brendan expresses his disbelief, "I don't know if I've got what it takes."

"Frankly, you're more than qualified to be a captain." Gina is quick to rush to his aid. Brendan only hums in response as he is unconvinced.

"She's totally right!" Kanon chips in happily.

"You think so?" His voice sounds more positive now that he knows that others know he is capable of being a captain. "I'm not so sure I can do it."

"Dunno if we're up for it, but I'd be glad to take you under my wing. Y'know, show ya the ropes." Shun confidently speaks up. Something about the situation makes me smile again. In the meantime, I notice Tatsumi shuffling around and changing his position. I choose not to follow him with my eyes because I feel as though that would be strange.

"I see. That'd be fantastic, Shun!" Brendan replies with hope in his voice.

"Wait, you serious?" Shun probably said it as a joke, but now that he's got that response he can't help but doubt himself. While they were talking, I notice Tatsumi decided to sit next to me; he probably got tired to standing up.

"So, Cedrick…" Judging by the way he begins a conversation with me, I guess he wasn't just tired of standing. "The battle's over for now. Back to business as usual." He begins, looking forwards while I've since moved my head to face him as he speaks. "But if you've got the time, I'd be glad to have your help protecting the satellite bases." He turns towards me as he gets to the point. "As far as I'm concerned" He smiles widely, "you are an honorary member of the Defence Unit." He raises his drink in celebration of what he's just said. I must admit that I do feel warmer hearing that.

"Yeah! Definitely!" Shun chips in, agreeing with Tatsumi. "I mean, you lending a hand out there… It'd be great. You've got some pretty solid skills, I guess."

"Seriously I don't think any God Eater could compare to you, Instructor. Your ability and spirit are top-notch." Brendan also tells me that he wouldn't mind me helping them occasionally, although I do disagree with my spirit being top-notch. As far as I'm aware, I complained more times than I was in a positive spirit.

"Please? I'd love to have you with us!" Kanon pleads in a very cute voice as she bows, although I doubt she deliberately meant to be cute. I can see why she has a boyfriend.

"Kanon's not the only one, you know." Gina speaks up too. "I'm sure things would never get boring with you around, Cedrick. Who knows? Maybe you'll even give me some new ways to have a bit of fun out in the field." There's something about the way that she said the last part, coupled with her sultry voice that makes me think that she's not talking about Aragami.

"Heh… Someone's popular." Karel speaks up, perhaps he's jealous of how the conversation has turned to me. "Well, as long as we keep the bottom line up. I guess I'm okay with it. And, id I'm being honest, you are pretty good at that." Hearing that from Karel, just seems to cement the warm feeling in my heart. Probably because I never expected him of all people to tell me that I'm welcome to help the Defence Unit anytime.

"Ha! Listen to you, trying to sound important!" Shun responds to Karel just being who he is.

"Well, the ayes have it!" Tatsumi smiles again as he speaks to me. "Hahaha! Welcome to the team, it's an honour to have you with us." He extends his can outwards. "Those bases aren't gonna defend themselves. But with this team… I think we got it." As he speaks, I bump his can with my own…

It is about an hour or so later before I decided to leave the lounge and get some rest in my room. After all of my effort today and the previous two days, I think I deserve a holiday.


	101. Chapter 101 - Sleeping all day?

Chapter 101

DISCLAIMER: I DO NOT OWN THE GOD EATER FRANCHISE HOWEVER I DO OWN MY OC.

Also, please leave a review!

Name: Cedrick Esparza  
Gender: Male  
Hairstyle: Style 7 (Dark Brown) 

I don't remember much of what happened after I returned to my room. I don't think I went to sleep straight away, but I do remember heading over to my bed and then lying down in it before my vision turned black. Currently, I have my eyes relaxingly closed while I continue to lie in my bed. To anybody else, it would seem as though I'm lightly sleeping. I'm not though. I've tried to get back to sleep but gave up on it after trying for an hour despite the fact that I still don't feel fully rested. I'm too tired to get out of bed. I open the only eye I can see through and look towards my digital clock. It reads 19:37.

"Ha!" I scoff loudly, closing my eye at the same time. It is 19:37 which means that I've been asleep, or at least in my room for almost a whole day, but after what happened yesterday I'm not surprised. I was really pushed to my limits. I even used Blood Rage twice. I was so exhausted yesterday, that I could have died on the battlefield. It's lucky that in my final fight with the two Fierce Kongou that the Blood Rage meter on my God Arc was adequately filled or else I would have been met with my demise. That's why images of my past flooded through my head, but if I'm honest one of those images still hasn't left my head. The image of Kanon opening the door to the rooftop with the necklace that I had given Ciel crushed in her hand. I feel a tear roll down my cheek at the recalling of that memory. It's something I'm not really going to escape from. Ciel is, in essence, the vice-captain of Blood. So, she's going to be sticking around for a while. Not that I'd want her to leave, but I can't help but think that if she wasn't in the Blood Unit then her rejection wouldn't sting as much as it does.

"Grr…" I can't help the growl that escapes my throat and I turn over again. "I won't be able to get back to sleep like this." I've already woken up a few times over the course of the day and each time I was able to get back to sleep but that was only after spending a bit of time trying, and after a bit of time remembering the whole ordeal with asking Ciel out. Sleeping has been my escapism since that awful day. I don't have to worry about seeing Ciel in my dreams, and when I do it usually has nothing to do with romance. The dreams I have with Ciel are all about fighting Aragami and making plans to defeat them. Very different in contrast to what I want to do in the waking world; being with Ciel as her significant other.

"Grrrrrooo" Another growl escapes me, but this time it comes from my stomach. It does make sense after all. I wrap an arm around my belly in the hopes that it will stop growling. I doubt it though, it's been about a day since I've last eaten anything, and I did use up a lot of calories on all of the missions over the past few days. I was just hoping to lie in bed all day today as a reward for all of my hard work, which is why, when my stomach rumbles again, I unconsciously emit a groan. I know that wrapping an arm around my belly is futile but there is something comforting about the hope that it will not growl again. I count the seconds between the growls and hope that the hunger eventually subsides. I know that the people of the past did something similar before all of the Aragami appeared, but they used this method to judge how far away, or how close, a thunderstorm was to them. Apparently, if the amount of time between each thunderclap increased then the storm would be moving further away. Some part of me knows that this logic is flawed when trying to determine how hungry you actually are, but that doesn't stop me from trying.

"GRRROOOO!" My stomach bellows, signalling that it needs some food to keep it happy.

"Alright already!" I throw myself off of my bed and make sure that my clothes are suitable to wander around the Den in; it turns out that I didn't even change when I went to sleep. Usually I sleep naked, so I must have been really tired to fall asleep when one of my conditions had not been met. "Let's get you fed." I pat my stomach and ignore another, quieter rumble that it emits in response, almost as if it has a mind of its own. I walk out of my room and head to the lounge. "Mutsumi's cooking should keep you satisfied." I'm definitely not eating the slop that they serve in the cafeteria today. I wouldn't be able to keep it down.

As I walk through the Den, I realise that my vision is still slightly blurred. I rub the sleep out of my eye as I walk to the lift; making sure to watch where I'm going by only rubbing my eye for a few seconds before checking how far I've walked. As I rub my eyes, I notice that my eyepatch must have rolled up my face as I slept. I even it out. Eventually, my vision reaches an acceptable state. I can't quite see everything clearly, but the things that are close to me I can definitely see clearly. I won't lie, after rubbing my eye for so long I do feel a bit scared that I cannot see properly. It reminds me of when I had to get my left eye removed, but I know that it will correct itself after being exposed to the light for a short amount of time.

When I reach the lounge, I walk clumsily over to where Mutsumi sets up her base of operation. My arms hanging loosely to my sides and my feet plod over to a seat. My stomach rumbles again and I don't even care about me making a scene to the person that is sitting next to me.

"Cerrick?" The person beside me speaks up with a mouthful of food making their words almost undecipherable. I'm able to deduce that the person was saying my name though, but at the moment, I don't care.

"Mutsumiiii!" I rest my arms on the round table in front of me and my head on my arms. "I need some food." I grumble as I begin to feel a pain in my head. I never realised until I walked into the lounge but the lights here are very bright.

"What can I get you?" I hear her shuffling over to me as she speaks with a smile on her face. She probably thinks the sight of a starving Blood Captain is funny.

"Anything that will fill me up!" I choose to ignore the fact that she's taking pleasure in the fact that I'm in such a fatigued condition and instead tell her to feed me anything that will sate my hunger.

"It might take a little while to cook something so filling. Will that be fine?" At Mutsumi's words, I can't help but grumble but give her a thumbs up with one of my hands. "Great! Then I'll make the best meal you've ever had!" I can hear the excitement in her voice. She must really like the fact that I gave her the freedom to cook anything for me.

"Cheer up, Cedrick." The person beside me places their arm around my shoulders. It's a soft, thin and slender arm which must mean that the person to my side is a female. I choose to listen to their voice properly to discern who it is I sat beside without having to raise my head to find out. "Why don't you have one of my Oden sandwiches in the meantime." With these words, it's easy to tell who it is I am sitting beside. I feel one of her hands pick up my arm and direct it towards what I assume to be an Oden sandwich.

"Thanks, Nana." I speak up before lifting my head off of my other arm and begin eating the Oden sandwich. If I'm completely honest, I had hoped that the person beside me wasn't a member of my own unit. Although, if the person had to be from my unit, I'm glad it was Nana. She's an easy-going person and I doubt that she'd make fun of me for being so lethargic. I mean, being in this situation is definitely embarrassing, but the fact that Nana cared enough about me to offer me one of her most prized sandwiches does warm my heart.

"Don't eat too much, mind." Mutsumi warns me. "I expect you to eat every last bite of the meal I'm preparing." As she speaks, my vision returns to me and I see that she still has a wide smile on her face. She clearly enjoys what she does. "Although you could share it with Nana." I see her smile become more mischievousness. "She's got a stomach like a bottomless pit, I'm sure she'd even manage to eat all of my food even after she's eaten the sack of sandwiches." I smile at Mutsumi's words and even follow where she points only to see a literal sack of sandwiches that I haven't seen for a long time.

"I'm sure the cap'n will manage." Nana claps my back as she talks to Mutsumi. She turns to me afterwards though. "Although, since I gave you a sandwich, you should give me some of Mutsumi's food in return." She happily declares with an infectious smile. I can't help but smile when I see Nana looking so happily.

"Yeah, yeah, okay." I reluctantly accept to give Nana some of Mutsumi's food.

"Wait, really?" She looks at me in surprise, her smile leaving her face before coming back in full force a second or two later. "Yes! Mutsumi's cooking is the best!"

"It's still gonna cost you full price, Captain." The younger girl reminds me and I dismiss her worries.

Approximately ten minutes, and thirteen stomach rumbles later, Mutsumi gives Nana and I a plate of food each which we silently begin to devour.

"Well," Mutsumi looks on with a smile on her face, "how is it?" I'm sure she already knows, but maybe she's genuinely nervous.

"Top marks!" I wait until I've finished a mouthful of the food before I speak and give her a thumbs up in response. She smiles cutely at me and turns to Nana expectantly. Nana doesn't answer though as she continues to devour the food Mutsumi prepared for her. I turn to Mutsumi again to see her smile has widened. I guess that must be all the feedback she needed as she leaves us to eat in peace. With each mouthful, the taste dances on my tongue and my stomach shouts in happiness. I'm pretty glad that I came out of my room now.

After five minutes of eating, Nana and I have finished everything on our plate. I'm pretty sure I even saw Nana lick the plate clean before expressing her gratitude to Mutsumi in her usual bubbly way. I'm not even sure why I was embarrassed to show my weakened side to Nana now; especially when she acts like this. Mutsumi leaves us to go and clean up the cutlery we used.

"Oh," I turn to Nana as she speaks up, "Ciel wanted to see you." She turns to me as she speaks.

"Was it something important?" I ask her in response to which she replies with a scratch of her head.

"Er… I have no idea. She didn't tell me." Nana's reply confuses me. Ciel wants to talk to me, but it's something that she only wants to talk to me about. That's what it seems like anyway, and once I think that my heart begins to beat slightly faster.

"Did she tell you where she'd be waiting for me?" I ask her with a raised eyebrow.

"In her room, I think." Now all sorts of alarm bells are going off in my head and that's not the only part affected by this news. My heart really seems to be beating now. I find it weird that my heart and my brain conflict so greatly. My heart seems to be willing to get into this situation; to meet Ciel in her room, but my mind is telling me not to go through with it. It seems as though my mind is trying to protect me from any further heartbreak. I still remember Ciel rejecting me as if it happened yesterday, so maybe that's why my head hurts as much as it does. In the end, my heart wins this battle and I decide to head to Ciel's room.

My limbs only seem to grow heavier as I approach her room. My heart beats erratically and my head continues to throb in pain. I force myself to stop walking and recollect what little composure I have, leaning on a wall as the sweat drips off of my head. Eventually, I reach Ciel's room.

"Ciel?" My voice comes out as a feared whisper and I'm aware of it. I try to call her again using a louder voice but my voice catches in my throat. Instead, I opt to knock on her door several times, all the while trying to calm myself down enough to at least look composed. I may be able to blame my physical appearance on waking up just recently, but I don't have an excuse for the fear in my voice. However, with no response, I begin to feel myself calming down, deducing that Ciel isn't in her room. "Phew!" I take an arm and wipe the sweat from my forehead before knocking on the door again, just to make sure she isn't in there. What I didn't expect to happen was for the door to slightly open. I swallow the lump that forms in my throat and allow the door to swing open. As it full opens, I step in and look for Ciel, just to make sure she's absolutely not there.

"This is… not what I expected." Ciel's room is surprisingly littered with paper. I pick up one of the stray pieces and read the title of it. _How to deal with a Spartacus_ is the title of the page and reading on, I find that there are multiple strategies to defeating a Spartacus. It surprises me to see how much effort she puts into making plans. As I continue reading a few more random pieces of paper, the door closes. I also begin to feel a warmth build up in my chest. It's not the same warmth that I hold for the owner of these strategies, it's more like the warmth you would situate as pride. Yes, it is pride. I am very proud to have someone so dedicated to her job like Ciel in my unit. I continue reading another few sheets of paper before realising how far I've wandered into Ciel's room, and also why Ciel was unable to answer me before. In front of me lies a bed, and on said bed is a familiar head of silver hair; complete with podgy cheeks and closed eyes. It's too much for my heart to handle and my eyes almost spill with tears; knowing that never in my life will I get to witness the beautiful sight of a sleeping Ciel. The only way I would have been able to experience the sight countless times is if Ciel had shared the feelings I have for her. I can't stop the tears roll down my face and onto the piece of paper held tightly within my grip. I was right to fall in love with her, but I was wrong to choose that moment to confess to her. If only things were different.

"Hmm…" She cutely moans in her sleep as she slips a hand under her pillow and rests her head on it. The very sight of a defenceless Ciel is enough to make my adolescent mind slip into overdrive. I could do so many things right now and Ciel would be clueless. I could search through her draws and steal her underwear, I could touch her right now and she won't be able to do anything about it. I know how wrong it is to think about these things, but I cannot stop the thoughts as my mind becomes cloudy with sexual desires. The only thing preventing me from carrying through with all of this is the fact that I know she will never feel the same way. I'd be tainting a girl who did not give me her permission.

"Hmmmmm" She mumbles again as she switches position. It's clear that she's becoming restless. I quickly wipe my eyes and choose to pick up the scattered pieces of paper on the floor instead of watching her wake up. It must be because she has been trained in numerous defensive arts that she's aware that she's not alone in her room. But the fact that she didn't respond sooner must mean that she senses that I don't mean her any harm. This woman trusts me despite the thoughts I have had and continually have about her. I feel my heart break at this revelation but try with all of my might to not break down in her room. I find it strange that I'm perfectly capable of being inside other females' rooms, such as Alisa's, and can be my perverse self, but it's only with Ciel that I find myself unable to be myself.

"Cedrick?" The woman whose room I'm in says my name in surprise and confusion and I can hear her moving around on my bed. As I continue to pick up the scattered pieces of paper, nearer the door in case I need to run for my life, I can feel her gaze burning into my back.

"Nana told me that you wanted to talk to me." I tell her simply. I no longer fear Ciel; instead, I fear myself for what I'm capable of thinking of. My mind is a hole and my most recent thoughts about Ciel must have reached the deepest point of it.

"Hm?" I hear her utter in confusion. I don't feel her gaze on my back anymore but choose not to turn towards her. It was only seconds ago that I was crying, and I doubt my face has recovered in those few seconds. I am once again at my weakest point, if Ciel becomes aware of this it will be the second time she's seen me in my weakest state. That's something I don't want weighing on my consciousness. "Oh, yeah." I hear her stand up from her bed and head towards me. "You don't need to pick them up for me." She comments on the fact that I'm still picking up the papers, but it is probably the only thing keeping me in this room right now.

"It's fine. What was it you were wanting to talk to me about?" I choose not to face her still. She doesn't speak up for a couple of very intense seconds. I have no idea what she is thinking about but I'm sure she's looking at me.

"Apparently," She begins, "Fenrir HQ is going to get involved in the Spiral Tree." Of all things, I never expected to hear that. "Director Sakaki told me that there will be some new arrivals tomorrow."

"Is that so?" It's all I can say really. I've now picked up all of the sheets of paper from her floor and place them on a nearby table. Without even looking at her, I walk towards the door. "I guess we'll have to prepare to give them a warm welcome." Now that my task has been completed, I can't bring my legs to walk quickly enough out of her room.

"Cedrick?" I hear the surprise in her voice as I briskly walk into my own room and lock the door behind me.

"Sorry, Ciel. It's my shower time." I walk away from the door despite her protests. I don't even think I could handle talking to her for any longer. I walk further into my room before lying on my bed, facing the ceiling. I stare at it for as long as I can as I try and push away the sexual thoughts from my mind. Each one pains me and eventually, the mental stress causes my vision to turn black; once again escaping from the real world.

\- Elsewhere -

A lone figure walks through a harsh snowstorm. The crunching of the snow under her feet doesn't faze her at all. Even the lack of heat in the atmosphere doesn't seem to faze her as the woman walks with her God Arc tightly clenched in her hand. She is definitely not equipped for the weather; her arms and thighs exposed to the harsh temperature. Nevertheless, the woman plods on before something enters her field of vision. Another God Eater kneels as he clutches his arm, his God Arc a fair distance away from him. The arm her clutches appears to have grown large, dark red crystals on it.

"Livie reporting," The woman speaks up. "target has been sighted. Commencing primary execution tactics." With those words, she prepares her God Arc and runs towards the man on the floor. She delivers a strong strike to the man, but her God Arc bounces off with no effect. The man groans in pain, but not from the woman's attack. "No… It seems we were too late…" She speaks emotionlessly, perhaps even annoyed with the situation. As she says this, the man's groans even more as a purple mist envelops him and his Armlet drops to the ground, shedding any last hope that this man is a God Eater. His body quickly contorts into that of a Borg Camlann, only this one has a back and purple colouration. He has transformed into a Susano'o. The woman merely looks on in anticipation.

"The target's well past Corrosion Phase 3. He's already initiated transformation. As it stands, your God Arc has no chance against it." A man's voice makes itself known to the woman through her earpiece. "Livie, you will need to adapt the target's Arc." In response, the woman looks towards the man-turned-Aragami's God Arc.

"Understood." Without a moment to spare, the woman throws her God Arc to the ground and runs to the only other God Arc around her. She grabs it easily and prepares an attacking stance. However, a purple mist envelops her arm but dissipates as quickly as it appears, in its place are tentacle-like appendages that cause the woman to groan in pain. She holds her arm in support and the appendages disappear into the woman's skin. She takes a few deep breaths before giving a test swing and speaking. "I've adapted… Let's begin." With that, the Aragami sprints towards the woman who jumps into the air and lands a direct hit on the Aragami's head.

Only minutes later, the Aragami is defeated and the woman walks to the Armlet that the God Eater dropped before succumbing to the Aragami infection. She sits down on a rock and observes it as the snow around her comes to a halt.

"I've recovered their armlet." Livie speaks up, making the people who contacted her previously aware of the situation.

"Well done, Livie. Information Officer? The items are secure. You may proceed with the operation and collect the God Arc." A male voice replies.

"Acknowledged." A deeper male voice is heard through the same conversation lines.

"Leave the cleanup to us, Livie, you're free to return to base." The first male voice is heard again as the woman traces the outline of an etching on the Armlet she picked up. "Livie? Livie, do you ready us?" Having heard no response from the girl, the man speaks up again to ensure that the girl is safe.

"Yes, acknowledged." The woman stands up from her seat and hold a hand to her ear. "I'm returning to base now."

"Target has been eliminated. Mission accomplished, Director Feldman…" The man speaks up again, confirming the situation to the person in charge of the operation. "Next target, the Far East Branch."

"The Far East…"


	102. Chapter 102 - Corporal Livie Collete

Chapter 102

DISCLAIMER: I DO NOT OWN THE GOD EATER FRANCHISE HOWEVER I DO OWN MY OC.

Also, please leave a review!

Name: Cedrick Esparza  
Gender: Male  
Hairstyle: Style 7 (Dark Brown)

A/N: Sorry about how late this update has been. I don't have an excuse for not posting before this week, but now I'm in University. So, this will probably be my escapism while I'm here. If all goes well, or I suppose badly, I should be updating more regularly.

As the morning makes itself known, I find myself in a similar situation as yesterday morning. My eyes closed and my breathing light. At this moment in time, I feel at peace. I can shut out everything that happens around me and not have to worry about the consequences. In this state, I can feel relaxed. My responsibilities no longer exist, and I don't have to force myself to be the person everyone looks up to: the people that look up to me as an instructor; the people that look up to me as a Captain; and the people that rely on me as a friend; everyone. They all look up to me and while it comes with its own benefits, the negatives definitely outweigh them. All of that I have been able to tolerate though, but there's one thing that I cannot and it relates to my unit's very own Vice-Captain, Ciel. I've loved her for a long time and I've even been rejected by her, but that won't stop my heart from reacting to her whenever she's nearby. She's the Vice-Captain of my unit which means that she's always going to be nearby. After what happened yesterday, I'm not even sure how I should act around her. She must know that something is wrong with me after our little conversation yesterday. Of all the things I could have done, I told her that I needed to take a shower. That was so stupid of me. I could have said something like somebody had wanted me to accompany them on a mission, but no. I had to say that I was going in the shower…

There are a few things that I am concerned about now. The first is that I hope she knew something was wrong and didn't wait outside of the showers to talk with me. The second is that I hope she hasn't spoken to anyone about what happened yesterday. I don't want everyone to be cautious around me and treat me differently than usual, but then that conflicts with my earlier thoughts of wanting the pressure on me to be eased. The third, and most important, thing I am concerned about, is that thinking about Ciel can ruin any kind of relaxation or peacefulness in my life. I was happy that I was relaxed moments ago, and because of that, my mind thought it was the right time to wander to Ciel. If I'm not able to escape from Ciel in my mind, I'm just going to have to do it by avoiding her. Maybe that will help me not to think about her. If I help other people instead of Ciel, surely my mind will wander to those people instead, right? There's only one way to find out.

I open my eyes to meet the outside world and tell it that I'm ready for the day ahead of me. With my plan in motion, I complete my morning routine and walk into the lobby. I'm glad that Ciel isn't in there, but my heart seems to ache because of it.

"No, Cedrick." I mentally reprimand myself. "You can't think about her." I give myself a light smack to the forehead to try and take my mind off of the girl I mustn't name. As soon as I've done that, I head towards the operator desk to see if there's any missions I can go out on. After all, I may have just helped to save the Far East Branch a couple of days ago, but there's almost no time for resting when you are a God Eater.

After a little chat with Fran, she brings up all of the available missions I can go on today. Some missions already have God Eaters working on them, but there is an option to join them and help them. The rest of the missions available have no God Eaters that are working on them, and I'm not surprised either. Those missions mainly include the small fry of Aragami such as Ogretails and Zygotes. Actually, now that I mention about the size of the Aragami, it seems as though there aren't any large Aragami that need to be defeated. I guess that explains why I see Karel's and Shun's names on a few missions each. They're accompanied by a couple of other names which must be the trainee God Eaters that are in their unit. They are Captains now, after all. In the end, I decide to take up a mission by myself. This way, I can avoid any piercing comments about my life if Ciel really did tell someone yesterday. I know I can't avoid it forever, but I want to prolong it for as long as possible.

"Oh, by the way, Cedrick" I give Fran a surprised look as she realises she forgot to say something. Deep within me, I begin to fear that Ciel had told Fran about how unusual I was yesterday and begin to feel my heart constrict within my chest. My breathing quickens as well. I'm surprised that all of this can happen so suddenly, but it does. "The people arriving from Headquarters will be here after your mission. They'll most likely want to speak with you." I breathe an inner sigh of relief and raise a hand to my chest, feeling my heart ease up. I play it off as just heart burn though.

"Thanks, Fran. I'll meet them after my mission." I walk away at a quick pace and try not to call attention to myself. I don't think Fran suspected a thing, but there's always a chance that she did. Regardless, with the arrival of the Fenrir HQ staff, I hope that my heart and my mind will be distracted from Ciel, even if I need Ciel to be there with me when I meet them.

After a gruelling mission against a couple of Kongou and a Sariel, I find my unit waiting for me outside the doors of the meeting room. It's clear that if I'm going to meet anyone, it will be in the meeting room so, that's why I headed there straight after my mission. Plus, I'm feeling slightly tired after that mission, so I just want to get it over and done with. After a quick hello to my teammates, we trudge forward into the meeting room. As we walk, we draw the attention of those inside and I quickly notice that Doctor Soma and Director Sakaki are also inside the room. Straight ahead of us is a man wearing white Fenrir formal suit as well as a green jacket slung over his shoulders which reminds me of a cape. The man pays us little attention until we reach a metre or two in front of him. I'm not concerned about that though. Near the man stands a woman clad in a red-hooded jacket that watches us with judgement in her eyes. I get the feeling that I've seen her before, but I have no clue where.

"Ah, welcome. Welcome, everyone." The director speaks up and announces our presence with a pleased voice. It's a voice I've grown so used to during my time here and, I must say, it eases me to hear the director speak with such an easy tone. The way everyone was staring at me made me feel as though every action of mine was being scrutinised; from my appearance to the way I walk. "Please, allow me to make introductions." He continues as he slowly moves his head to the side to which the rather tall man in the white Fenrir uniform stands. "This gentleman you see is Director Isaac Feldman. The Head of Fenrir Intelligence." As Sakaki introduces the man, I look towards Isaac's face and feel as though he is staring at me. His entire view is looking straight towards me with a judging glance, but unlike the woman near him, he seems to be glaring at me. And only me.

"So," Director Isaac Feldman's gaze eases as he speaks. "You're the new Captain of the Blood Special Forces. Rather younger than I imagined you'd be." His voice is worthy of one in his position. It's a powerful voice that challenges anyone to rise against it, and I have no intention on creating as large an enemy as him. As he speaks though, I can feel the gaze of everyone in the room resting on me, even the members of my unit.

"It's the first time I've heard that." I feel pressured to speak and so say the first thing that comes to mind. I try to speak up confidently, but I'm pretty sure my voice broke when I spoke up; showing my nervousness at being the centre of attention for the umpteenth time in my life. You'd have thought I'd be used to the attention by now, but I must just be a nervous person whenever I meet strangers.

"Well, no matter." Feldman brushes off my comment and I feel even more nervous because of it. I clearly said the wrong thing. A wetness forms on my hands and I feel my heart beat rising. As the Director allowed, I am Isaac Feldman, the eyes and ears of Fenrir's Intelligence Branch."

"Director Feldman," Sakaki speaks up, "if you'd like to go over the details…" He leads the conversation back on track and I can't help but be thankful now that he's steered the conversation away from introductions.

"Of course. It's a simple matter. Fenrir Intelligence is here to stake claim to the Spiral Tree." So much for a simple matter, I inwardly scoff at the Director before me. The whole situation about the Spiral Tree is a mystery. If it wasn't, we'd have rescued Julius by now. "We intend to name it as Sacred Ground."

"Sacred Ground?" Nana questioningly repeats with a confused voice and I'm glad she does. It shows that I'm not the only one confused as to how they're going to deal with the Spiral Tree.

"A region managed in name by Fenrir and its affiliates but shared amongst all of humanity. It will be… free." Feldman's explanation only serves to generate more questions than answers, in my mind. From the corner of my eye, I see Dr. Soma raise his head in the direction of the man speaking. "Once the designation begins and the details are cut through, as it were, Fenrir will construct a research centre and begin studies."

"So," Soma begins with an elongated word, wanting all of the attention on him. His very tone seems to challenge the Feldman. "Strip away the bureaucratic red tape and what you're really doing is stealing the away the Spiral Tree from the Far East." Soma explains in much simpler terms what Fenrir Intelligence plan to do with the Spiral Tree. I must admit that it doesn't sound very good, but there may be a positive side to this: investigations into rescuing Julius will be quicker and so we can actually rescue him quicker.

"Oh, you believe so?" Feldman replies with an equally challenging tone. "All we intend is to get some real research done. Sacred Ground is no place for kids to play amateur scientist." A thick tension hangs in the air before Feldman continues speaking. During that time, Soma seems to be speculating over what to say. "For years now, Headquarters has had almost no say in the actions of the Far East. We've had no control over this war's front lines. And I tell you now, Fenrir Intelligence does not intend to remain in the dark. I assume there is no objection to that… Doctor?" Feldman's challenging tone doesn't waver.

"You have something to say?!" Soma speaks up as he moves into a position more appropriate for brawling. I admire how Soma can stand up to this guy, but I have no intention of doing so as well.

"Dr. Soma," Sakaki speaks up now to try and ease the tension in the air. "your research has been stalled for a while now. Think of the bright side, now you'll have a partner as eager for answers as you." Sakaki's interference diffuses Soma's anger enough for him to resume resting against the wall with his arms folded; seemingly still angry about the whole ordeal. "Ah, and Captain…" Sakaki turns to face me and as he mentions my name my heart begins to beat slightly faster. "Director Feldman has asked for your help. With the two of you working together, you're sure to solve the Spiral Tree's mysteries." I can't believe what I'm hearing, honestly. It's only been a couple of days since I've had to save this branch, and now I'm being pushed hard at work again. It irritates me just how much people are depending on me these days. Although, not having anything to do will make me think about Ciel, which is just physically and emotionally painful. Plus, if I'm going to become Feldman's working partner, I'll be able to have a say in what and what cannot be done to the Spiral Tree, such as making the rescuing of Julius a top priority.

"I've only heard good things about your Blood Unit." Feldman speaks up, and I'm surprised that it's to praise my unit's work. I can't help but feel pride in the fact that the Head of Fenrir Intelligence has acknowledged the work of my unit. "Your help could be instrumental. Let's see if you live up to the hype." Even his gaze seems to have eased as he speaks those words, although he doesn't quite seem at rest. Either he has this thing called 'resting bitch face', or he's still unsure of the faith he's putting in me. "Observe." He turns around towards the monitors on the wall behind him. "The Spiral Tree is a massive collection of Oracle Cells. In essence, an Aragami built on an impossible scale. Our studies naturally disrupt this mass of Oracle Cells. In order to keep it stable, and our scientists safe, we need to position control devices." As he speaks, multiple different images of the Spiral Tree are shown on the screen. That's not what takes my attention though. There are also images of devices that show up on the screen as well. The man turns back to me. "Your objective is to serve as escorts for the God Arc Soldiers that will be moving the devices. We don't know what awaits us. Now then, have you any questions of your task?"

"Yeah, what about Julius?" Gilbert speaks up almost instantly. "He's still inside that tree, sealing the apocalypse. Is he gonna be alright if we start digging through?" Gilbert's question concerns me. Julius is the biggest factor in the Spiral Tree and I'm sure Feldman knows that; so what are his plans with Julius?

"I assure you, we are fully cognizant of Captain Visconti's situation. We will not allow any harm to come to him, if it can be avoided. We believe his presence inside helps to maintain the balance. If the tree's energy is shifted or altered, the whole thing could collapse. " Feldman's answer does nothing to ease my thoughts, but it doesn't worsen them either. What if we do need to hurt Julius? Can we actually do that? "Keeping all our citizens safe is the main reason Fenrir wishes to claim the tree." His words don't leave much to the imagination. It seems very likely that he would sacrifice Julius if it meant saving others. And as much as I am against that decision, I have to agree that it would be the best decision. "So, God Eater, any other questions?"

"No, sir. Understood, Director." Gilbert replies.

"Excellent. Now, Corporal Collete, step forward." He turns his head slightly to the woman beside him.

"Yes, sir." She speaks easily and nerve free, as if she's done this plenty of times already. Her voice does sound surprisingly feminine despite the fact that she doesn't really show the feminine assets I look for in a woman. In comparison to Ciel's boobs, Collete's are tiny! Her thighs aren't as nice as Nana's are, and she seems to be a bit too thin. In my time looking over her body, I fail to realise that the woman has actually stepped forward until I hear the Feldman's booming voice again.

"Blood is hereby recommissioned as a division serving Fenrir Intelligence under Corporal Livie Collete." The man says matter of factly, stating I have no room for complaint. I'm no longer the top dog in Blood now. I may remain Captain, but until this whole Spiral Tree situation is sorted, I'm not going to be top dog anymore. So why do I feel strangely happy about that? Is it because my responsibilities feel as though they've been lessened? All I have to do is follow Livie's orders after all. As well as looking after my team mates. Have my responsibilities actually been decreased? Or does it just feel that way? "There is no room for failure in this mission. Dismissed."


	103. Chapter 103: The return of

Chapter 103

DISCLAIMER: I DO NOT OWN THE GOD EATER FRANCHISE HOWEVER I DO OWN MY OC.

Also, please leave a review!

Name: Cedrick Esparza  
Gender: Male  
Hairstyle: Style 7 (Dark Brown)

After being dismissed by Director Isaac Feldman, we all headed our separate ways. I was surprised to see that the new leader of my unit didn't follow us out of the meeting. I'd have thought she'd definitely want to get to know the squad that will be serving under her until the Spiral Tree situation is sorted. I didn't even see her around the Den for the rest of that day. I assume that she had stayed behind to go over the plans a few more times before we actually did anything. So, the rest of that day I had to myself, and unfortunately, it led to thinking about Ciel. In the end, I decided to complete the day with a few more missions. By which point, I was so tired that I must have fallen asleep as soon as I had gotten comfortable on my bed since I don't remember anything else about that day. Now though, it's a new day and after completing my morning routine, I walk out of my room.

"We've already met. I'm Corporal Livie Collete. Intelligence Centre." The dark skinned and red-hooded woman introduces herself again as I sit in the lounge and continue to eat my breakfast. "As we discussed, I'll be in command of your unit while I'm here." She repeats the information that I was told yesterday, and I can't help but disregard it. Right now, the only thing on my mind is my breakfast. Mutsumi always knows how to cook a delicious meal. The flavours swim in my mouth with each bite. It's remarkable how good she is at cooking at such a young age. "I'd like to start by seeing what you can do." I hear Livie speak up again as she stands to the side of me, opting not to sit on one of the stools. It must mean that she wants to see what I'm capable of right now.

"Have you had any breakfast, Livie?" I ask her plainly, turning my head to meet hers. Now that she's talked to me, I've realised that she isn't as intimidating as she first seemed. It's why I have the confidence to quickly disregard her statement. However, she doesn't give me her answer. Instead, she turns around and heads towards the door.

"We'll move out once you're ready." She speaks up, not once turning her head in my direction before she leaves the lounge.

"She's new, isn't she?" Mutsumi asks from behind the counter, seemingly not informed of Livie's arrival.

"She and another Director arrived here from Fenrir HQ yesterday." I explain to her, turning back to what's left of my meal and preparing my next mouthful. "She doesn't seem to be very sociable."

"Yeah, I can tell. But maybe she just needs to open up first." I look to Mutsumi as she speaks in a hopeful voice. It seems that she's eager to become friends with Livie. I'm sure all it will take is a plateful of food to get Livie to become her friend. "So, it's up to you to get her to open up, huh?" I stare at the girl incredulously. She expects me to get Livie to open up? Really? I thought my responsibilities were supposed to decrease with Livie around. As if knowing why I'm making sure a surprised face Mutsumi continues, "You got everyone else to open up, right? The members of your unit don't seem like they were too close at first. It was the same when you arrived at the Far East."

"Was it? I don't remember." I honestly don't remember it being the same in the Far East. There were plenty of people that seem to be outgoing people before I even said a word to any of them.

"Of course, it was." It's her turn to look incredulous now as she doesn't believe that I don't remember it. "It took a while before most of us were able to become friends with your unit. You were our first line of contact to them. Now, we can just go up to them and speak normally." I wasn't aware that I was what Mutsumi tells me I am. Nobody got along with my unit at first? Is that true? I'm the one who opened everyone up? Something about this realisation warms my heart. I'm not quite sure how to describe the feeling, but I'm definitely happy at least.

"Thanks, Mutsumi. I needed that." I tell her gratefully with a smile slowly spreading across my face. It's not a smile I can supress either. It's a genuinely happy smile. With my mood set at the highest it's been in a couple of days, I leave the remains of my meal for Mutsumi to clean up, giving her my thanks in advance, before heading out of the lounge and intending to meet up with Livie. As I walk, it feels as though there is a little spring in my step.

"For our first test, we'll be up against a deusphage; an Aether." Livie explains in her unwavering voice. We've already boarded a helicopter to our destination of the Tranquil Temple, and Livie chooses now of all times to inform me of the Aragami we'll be fighting. Strangely though, instead of organising a team for this battle, she's decided that just the two of us will be fighting it. I mean, I know that she wanted to see my skills in battle, but I didn't expect her to analyse just me in battle. It does put a bit of pressure on me, but as long as I fight how I always do, I should be able to show to her that my skills in battle are the real deal. For the first time in a while, I actually feel excited to fight. The thought of being able to fight alongside a person I've recently met hasn't always appealed to me, so maybe this is where it all changes. Either that, or there's something about this woman that my makes me want to impress her. Whatever it is, I'm going to show her everything that I have! "You seem happy." Livie's voice brings me out of my rousing. I wasn't aware that I was showing my happiness to her.

"Sorry," embarrassed at being caught being happy, I scratch my head as an unconscious response. Once I realise what I'm doing, I quickly stop doing it. "I'm just glad I get to show off."

"No showing off." She speaks so quickly that I almost didn't finish my sentence in surprise. "Showing off will only cause accidents." Her face has since turned into that of a scowl and I'm surprised at how sudden it is.

"R-Right. Sorry." Her mood changed so quickly that the smile dropped from my face too. Although, I still feel excited…

When the time finally comes to taking down the beast, it's not only killed, but slaughtered. The two of us were easily able to make short work of it. Our fighting styles were so similar that they just connected with each other. I'd be surprised if that wasn't my best mission ever. And her scythe was pretty cool. She's definitely had it or a long time, and she's so good with it. I don't know how long exactly she has been with it, but I could confidently tell you that she was born with it. It just seems so suited for her.

"That went better than I expected." She speaks up and I can't help but feel happy because of it. "Are you ready for another round?" She asks with a look in my direction, no emotion on her face.

"Definitely." I reply simply, but happily.

"Good. The next mission's primary objective is to investigate sites for the control device for stabilising Tree Oracle Cells." Livie explains as she walks over to me, not paying the least bit attention to the Aether that lays dead at our feet. In the absence of her interest, I let my Arc devour its core. "We'll be on the outskirts of the Spiral Tree. Make sure to learn the lay of the land." Livie's words ring in my head. We'll be on the outskirts of the Spiral Tree… We're finally moving closer to rescuing Julius! I'm sure the rest of my unit will be just as happy as I am. Who knows, maybe in just a few more weeks, he'll be back with us. I hear Livie moving further behind me but let myself continue to relish in my thoughts. I wonder what everyone else will think when Julius returns? Will they be surprised? Shocked? Happy? I really hope the latter feeling is what overcomes them.

"A Fierce Kongou and a Charged Chi-You?" Livie's voice takes me out of my thoughts and back to reality. We haven't rescued Julius yet, but we will soon. "Forest of the Apocalypse: Main? Ah, that's what you've called it." I grow more and more intrigued with Livie's conversation. From what I can tell, part of the Sacred Ground is now called Forest of the Apocalypse: Main. It's not a very imaginative name but that doesn't matter. I continue to listen to the one sided-conversation, and thus, I don't learn anything else from it apart from the fact that there are two Fallen variants of medium-sized Aragami in the area that need eradicating. It's very difficult to listen to a conversation when the one person you can hear isn't very talkative. So, I'm forced to wait until the call back to the Far East ends before I find out that we're heading straight for this new area. I wonder if Livie knew in advance that we'd have to head straight for the new area since she did ask if I was ready for round 2. Regardless, after a couple of minutes waiting for a helicopter to pick us up, we head towards our next destination.

That mission finished almost as quickly as the previous mission. The two of us were able to support each other in not only attacks but in wellbeing as well. There was a time when the other person was hit so a healing bullet and restore pill was all that was needed to get us back to full strength. We arrived back to the Far East and were able to take a break before another mission came calling…

"A Caligula? With just the two of us?" I question Livie's decision as we continue our journey back to the Forest of the Apocalypse: Main. It would be a bit late to ask someone else to join us now, considering we're almost there.

"It's just a Caligula. Nothing else. We'll finish it with time to spare." Livie reasons, and although our teamwork has been pretty amazing, I'm not sure if I can agree with her. However, it turns out my worrying was for nothing as the two of us actually did manage to kill the large Aragami with time to spare. There was the occasional hiccup, but that was quickly sorted out. So, now we can head back home and rest for the day.

Surprisingly, when I get back to my room, I'm surprised to see that it's unlocked and that I have a visitor. I walk into my room and see a woman that I haven't seen for quite some time.

"It's good to see you, Cedrick." The woman greets me warmly with a matching smile, her hand placed on her hip which further accentuates her very womanly features. The most important part; her boobs. Boobs that rival Ciel's in size, although I'm sure that with her age they've become saggy. "How are you?"

"Doctor Leah, I'm fine." I quickly answer her questioning and say her name, acknowledging that I remember who she is.

"Do you have a moment to talk?" She asks with an expression I haven't seen on her face. It seems to be a serious expression, but deathly calm too.

"Take a seat." I gesture to one of the couches. I wait for her to sit on one of them before I decide to sit on the one she doesn't sit on. It would be weird to be talking on the same couch, we'd have to stretch our necks just to look at the other person while they're talking.

"I'm very glad to see that you and Ciel are doing well," As soon as Dr. Leah mentions my Vice-Captain's name, I can't keep away the rainclouds that hover over my head. "A lot happened since I was recalled to HQ" She faces towards the ground and places a hand on her chest, I watch as her hand makes contact with it to see if there is any form of cushioning from her breasts. However, she stops before that sort of contact can be made. "but I've been trying to make amends where I can." Just from her words, it's clear that she is still in turmoil over her sister's plan to enact the Devouring Apocalypse. I'm sure no one blames her for that though, but I bet that somebody has already said that to her. Since she's still like this, it means that it never helped her to get over it. "Director Feldman invited me to take part in this operation, and I knew it was my best chance to fix things." She takes her hand off of her chest and moves her body so that she is facing me. "Fenrir decided to refocus on manned God Arc Soldiers, not a bad decision, and I'm the best specialist they have." She explains. "I am looking forward to working alongside you, Captain."

"Are the Soldiers alright?" After all, we still have to kill the rogue ones quite often.

"I thought you'd ask. I'm sure the rogue unmanned Soldiers are still rampaging outside the Den." She closes her eyes slowly as she collects her thoughts. "The autonomous control drove those soldiers over the edge. Manned ones are far less risk. Manned soldiers have their limitations, of course, but now anyone with training can pilot one." She continues to explain with a prideful voice. "Most important, a human s always in control. I will not have another disaster on my watch." She continues, and I have to admire her determination to stop another accident from happening. "I swear to you." The conviction in her voice startles me and I can't help but feel a little bit shaky at it.

"Well, er…" I stammer through my nervousness at how quickly the atmosphere had changed to one of a more sinister tone. "How have you been?"

"Busy… Constantly." She replies almost instantly. She looks up to the ceiling as she continues. "After testifying against Rachel and Friar, I was finally allowed to go home, for a short while. I had to freeze the God Arc Soldier program, so much for my family's noblesse oblige. There was barely time for sleep, let alone time with my grief. I kept insisting that I'd retire." Just the sound of her voice can tell me how much pain she has been in, and I never once thought about her. I never once thought about how much Dr. Leah must have been going through. And yet, this woman still swears _to me_ that she won't let another accident occur. I'm honoured that she thinks so highly of me to swear this to me. "That barely got me through the day, 'I'll stop after the trail' I said, 'after my research is done.' Just goes to show you;" She brings her head back down and focuses on me again. "here I am, back in the Far East, overseeing the God Arc Soldier programs." I'm sure I see a smile on her face. The type of smile that says 'all my work was worth it'. "I keep hoping I'll find some closure here. That tree is just a mausoleum for my sister." It seems as though she's finished talking about her for now. If not, it's probably not best to continue probing into her life. I don't want her to breakdown in front of me.

"How's Director Grem been?" I haven't heard from him or about him since the day I was watching the news with my unit and a couple of others. It was after the whole situation about Julius had been found out. Honestly, I don't miss the guy. It always seemed as though he had something against me, but I don't care. I just want to know if he's still alive, that's all.

"Director Grem is tough…" Her words cause me some confusion and it must have been visible on my face, "No, not like you. He's a survivor in many ways. When all was said and done, he laid the blame on Rachel and Julius. Won a ton of compensation. That's how he got the God Arc Soldier Program restarted. But Feldman's in charge now." Wait, Director Grem restarted the program? I could have sworn that he'd use the money to buy a private island somewhere and hire some top class God Eaters as body guards.

"Well, whatever you need, I'm here to help." I inform her with a smile.

"Thank you." Her reciprocating smile shows just how happy she is. "You always were dependable. I appreciate you hearing me out." She stands up from her seat. I stand up too. "By the by, Dr. Kujo is back on Friar as well. He's assisting me in the labs. He was torn up when my sister died. It may help if you could be kind to him. I know you." With those words, Dr. Leah leaves my room as she leaves me to ponder whether or not I should visit Dr. Kujo at some point.


	104. Chapter 104 - I can replace her

Chapter 104

DISCLAIMER: I DO NOT OWN THE GOD EATER FRANCHISE HOWEVER I DO OWN MY OC.

Also, please leave a review!

Name: Cedrick Esparza  
Gender: Male  
Hairstyle: Style 7 (Dark Brown)

"You… Livie has told me about you." Director Feldman begins and he surprisingly sounds grateful. It's why I'm able to look him in the eye as he continues speaking. Being unexpectedly called to meet him in the Director's office was a surprise, but this is even more surprising. Nevertheless, I dare not to speak up. He seems like the type of person that could very quickly change his mind. "You've done well." These words confirm my thoughts that I'm not in trouble. "Because of you, we are moving faster than expected. We'll hold the consecration ceremony soon." His most recent words confuse me greatly as I have no idea what a 'consecration ceremony' is. Unfortunately, Director Feldman doesn't realise that I have no idea what he is talking about.

"Ceremony?" I can't help but enquire about my confusion.

"Fenrir's HQ Station," Director Sakaki begins to explain, "the _Public Broadcasting Service_ , will broadcast the Spiral Tree consecration ceremony. Fenrir HQ is sending us food for the event. We should see street stalls in the Outer Ghetto and on the roof. We want everyone, not just Fenrir personnel, to enjoy the ceremony." I can see why having food can allow everyone to enjoy this ceremony, but that doesn't really explain why we're having it. I can only assume it's because of our progress with the Spiral Tree. Oh well, I'm sure it will be announced during the ceremony. I'll just have to pay extra attention to what is being said. I could have asked one of the Directors, but I'm not going to bother them with asking what it's about… I'd look stupid. Maybe Livie or someone else knows.

"Where will it be held?" They weren't exactly too clear about it, so I had to ask. They mention about having stalls in the Outer Ghetto and on the roof, is it being held in the Den then?

"The roof of this building." Director Feldman answers for me. "It wouldn't be right unless we can see the Spiral Tree." Ah, I guess that makes sense. "We've already contacted HQ and FBS and are making our preparations. It'll be a pretty lively event!" Director Feldman has an uncharacteristic smile on his face as he explains. It surprises me to see it and to realise that this director actually has feelings. He seemed to be the exact opposite of Director Sakaki: showing no emotion and just being stoic, unless that emotion was a negative emotion like anger or frustration. It's good to know that he has other emotions. It allows me to breathe better knowing that I won't continuously be pushed to work by an always angry boss.

"Understood." I reply with a smile. If it's a celebration, I might as well get into the mood for it. It just all depends on when it will happen. Who knows, maybe I'll even get to take Ciel somewhe… No… I can't do that… She destroyed the necklace I got for her when I confessed… She clearly doesn't want something like that out of our friendship. I can feel my breathing become slightly more erratic and my chest constrict. Sweat begins to pour down my face and I quickly dismiss myself from the Director's Office. I don't need any of them to see this. As much as it pains me, I need to keep up my façade. I need to keep pretending that I'm over Ciel. If she were to see me in this state, it would only serve to worry her. But what can I do to avoid becoming like this again? I continue walking, not caring where I end up. I just let my legs carry me away from the Director's Office, and as I walk, I have an idea.

"I could… replace her." The thought comes to me so suddenly that I just blurt out my thoughts, but I don't care if anyone can hear me right now as I try to steady my heart and my breathing; taking deep breaths and listening to my heartbeat which has since echoed to my head. I really don't like the thought of replacing Ciel, but it's something that's going to have to be done. The question is, who do I replace her with?

"A-Attention! Could Blood C-Captain Cedrick Esparza make his way over to Aegis I-Island!" At the sound of Urara's voice, I look straight at the intercom. Her announcement is incredibly vague. I have no idea why I need to head over to Aegis Island nor how. Should I just go up to the roof and ask for a lift?

"I should grab my Arc first." I sigh before walking towards the God Arc Storage Warehouse where my Arc is kept. Along the way, I begin to realise that both my breathing and heartbeat have slowed to the usual pace and I no longer feel a tightness around my chest. Is this because I heard Urara's voice? It could just be a coincidence in the fact that I just needed to be snapped out of my thoughts, or was it just her voice that caused me to do that? Urara is an attractive woman after all, could my heart be calling to hers this way?

"Hang on!" I speak aloud to try and snap myself out of any indecent thoughts I may start to have. "Am I just looking for any woman to fill the void in my heart?"

"You what now?" A sudden sultry voice in my ear causes me to almost jump out of my skin. My heartbeat has quickened for the second time in a matter of minutes. I'm pretty sure it isn't good for my heart if this sort of thing keeps happening. I feel breath on my ear again and quickly sweep my head away from the woman who dares to do it. I could identify from the voice who it was, but I look at the woman just to makes sure. Sure enough, it's the sadomasochist, Gina. The fact that she's decided to pester me now can't be a coincidence. She must have heard what I had said and is only feigning ignorance. Which is why I quickly give a salutation to her before running to grab my Arc; not wanting her to come after me, hence the increase in pace.

Once I grab my God Arc, I head straight for the roof and ask to be dropped off at Aegis island. I arrive there not too long later to see Livie in combat with a giant-breasted beast. She seems to be holding herself well but isn't doing too much damage to the Amaterasu. I'm not surprised though as Livie seems to be the type to get up close and personal to the target rather than firing a gun from a safe distance. Thus, the risks are increased and she can't as easily deal damage due to having to avoid numerous types of close range attacks and the possibility of being trampled.

"Backup has arrived." I inform her by speaking through my earpiece as I run towards the beast. I have a clear shot at its right arm and slash my sword at it. The monster, as expected, brushes off the attack due to its large size and large amount of health. It's clear now why Urara sent me to Aegis Island. I was most likely scheduled to help Livie in this fight from the start, but since I didn't show due to being suddenly called up to the Director's office, Livie had to start by herself. Now that I'm here, we can get out teamwork flowing again! "Livie! Distract and slash!" I shout to her as I shoot a bullet at the Aragami's face, temporarily blocking its vision as Livie delivers a couple of strong slashes to the human body. I force myself not to stare at the monster's giant boobs as they swing from side to side under Livie's attack. I can't help but wonder if Livie feels jealous though. I mean, her boobs aren't exactly the best thing going for her, but does she know it? Regardless, with the distract and slash tactic, we manage to work the beast's energy down to the point where one more hit will finish it. Luckily for me, the hit that finishes it is mine and I extract its core as Livie walks up to me.

"You were late."

"Yeah, sorry about that. Director Feldman wanted to see me." I nervously chuckle as she stares at me in response. I don't know whether she's trying to check to see if I'm lying, or she's just anti-social to the point that she doesn't know what to say next. "So," I speak up to avoid showing my nervousness at her stare, "should we get to work deploying the devices?" I know that we're not deploying them here, but there should only be a couple of devices left that still need to be placed in the Sacred Ground. We should do it quickly and avoid wasting any time. For all we know, Julius could be running out of energy and fighting a losing fight.

"Actually, while we've been killing this Aragami," She gestures with a flick of her Arc at the corpse beside us, "the others should have finished deploying the rest of the devices." Livie informs me, to my surprise as I thought it was just the two of us working on the devices.

"Livie, are you and Captain Esparza finished there?" As if spying on us, we hear Director Feldman through our earpieces and I can only assume that the upcoming conversation is about the control devices.

"We have. Mission complete. Is everyone else ready?" She replies monotonously.

"They are. The both of you should come back to the meeting room. I'll see you then." With that, Director Feldman's voice cuts off.

"Well, you heard him. Let's get back." I never noticed it before, but now that I have, I'm not surprised that Livie and Director Feldman get along. They both seem to be emotionless which must be something that is taught in their line of work. Now that I think about it, the God Eaters that took care of me while I was younger were also emotionless. Is that a requirement to be a God Eater that attends Headquarters often? Even Julius was pretty emotionless. Only his voice would convey his emotions. Most of the time, his face never changed. It must be pretty boring to live like that… After coming out of my thoughts, I realise that Livie is no longer with me. I look around in a slight panic in case something had happened to her but notice her waiting at the pickup point. I walk over to her and wait with her until the helicopter comes. We both board it and head back to the Far East.

In the meeting room, all is silent. I dare not to open my mouth to speak, not even to cough. Only Director Feldman, Doctor Leah, Livie and I, as well as two Fenrir officers are inside the room.

"Everything has been arranged." Livie suddenly speaks up, startling me slightly. "It seems we're ready to begin testing the device. I feel Livie at me from the corner of her eye.

"Acknowledged. The area around the Spiral Tree is secure. Preparations complete." A voice replies although I'm not sure who it belongs to.

"Good." Director Feldman speaks up. "Now, let it begin." He turns towards one of the officers that stands behind a computer. The man gives Feldman a nod and begins typing away on the computer.

"Far East reporting, Director Feldman. We're beginning the monitor sync. Friar, are we all green?" The officer asks.

"Friar reporting." Another man responds. I can only assume it's another officer as I've never heard this guy's voice before during my time on Friar, even if it has been a while since I've been on Friar. "All Bias Field pulses around the Spiral Tree are within normal parameters."

"Dr. Kujo, please verify." The officer in the meeting room replies.

"What?! Uh… Ah… Y-Yes, normal. I mean, everything is-is-is functioning." The doctor sounds very nervous but I'm not in the least bit surprised about that. Considering what happened the last time he was on Friar, he's probably expecting something to go wrong.

"Control device function confirmed." The officer on Friar chips in. "Sync preparations complete. Go ahead."

"Copy." The officer in the meeting room replies before turning his attention to the Director in the room. "Director Feldman, how should we time your sync interval?" It's at this point in the conversation that I am lost. Although, I wasn't really paying close attention to it anyway.

"Five seconds should suffice. I want to be updated the moment you get a new reading, understood?" The Director answers the officer's question. In the meantime, I notice Doctor Leah walking slightly closer to the electronic display with all of the control devices on it. She takes a look at her clipboard while the officer replies with an affirmative.

"There's a strange reading coming from device five." I look back to the electronic board and locate where the fifth device is. It doesn't help much though as I have no idea what a normal reading looks like, even when comparing device five with the other devices.

"Friar, report." The director speaks up again. "Can you confirm this reading? What's your opinion, Dr. Kujo?"

"W-well, based on the pattern," Dr. Kujo's nervousness is still clear in his voice, "it-it's likely just the physical layer, Director, sir. Nothing more. Nothing to worry about."

"I am not worried…" Director Feldman replies sternly. "Perhaps an Aragami got a hold of the connecting cables… Damn nuisance." He turns his attention to Livie. "Corporal Livie, head to Friar and confirm the state of control device five and the other cables. I want this handled immediately."

"At your command." Livie replies as though she's been doing this for years, and I begin to wonder if she truly has been. It would make sense since she holds the rank of Corporal. Livie turns to me. "Blood Captain Esparza, you're with me. We'll depart in 10 minutes." I give her a nod before leaving to get my Arc and any other stuff that I might need for the mission. To hear somebody call me by my last name just seems wrong, so I try to suppress the shudder I feel as she calls me by it. However, it's the least of my concerns now as it appears we may need to go out hunting more Aragami.


	105. Short Chapter 105: The cables

Chapter 105

DISCLAIMER: I DO NOT OWN THE GOD EATER FRANCHISE HOWEVER I DO OWN MY OC.

Also, please leave a review!

Name: Cedrick Esparza  
Gender: Male  
Hairstyle: Style 7 (Dark Brown)

Livie and I arrived at the Forest of the Apocalypse a short while later. It wasn't hard to identify what the problem was as soon as we got there. It was as Director Feldman had said, an Aragami had gotten hold of the connecting cables; a Gboro-Gboro. The monster has since moved away from the cables, but it's clear to see that it did trifle with them.

"We'll have to fix that once we've taken care of the Aragami." I mumble to myself before looking back to the aqua-based monster. As far as I know, there is no water around here for many miles, so this beast must have been on the land for quite some time. "What's the plan then?" I turn to my companion. "Do we fight it head on or do you have a plan?"

"It's a Gboro-Gboro." As I figured, Livie didn't say much. I understand what she means though. It's just one medium-sized Aragami. I've been fighting against these guys for months and I'm sure Livie is more experienced than I am in fighting, so she'll find this to be an easy job too. After her words, she jumps from the ledge we're standing on and runs to the beast. I jump off too but change my Arc to Gun Form before running over to help her.

We easily defeat the low levelled monster; Livie slashes relentlessly while I fire my gun until my Oracle Points have been depleted before joining her in the melee fight. From the looks of it, Livie is really fond melee fighting. I can't remember the last time she used her gun on an enemy. Livie extracts the monster's core while I walk up to her.

"Mission compl…"

"Mid-Level hostile is in the region." Hibari's voice startles me and forces me to stop speaking. "Coordinate data incoming." I hear a few small beeps and check the map to see where the new enemy will be arriving. The two of us are at Point D right now, and it turns out that the Aragami is arriving at Point F; fairly close to us. The two of us head towards the point where we see another Gboro-Gboro land on the battlefield. We commence the war straight away; the two of us running straight for the beast. It's already noticed us, so we don't have to worry about being stealthy. After all, as long as you get the job done, stealth is only an option and not necessary. The Gboro-Gboro reclines, and I realise that it's about to jump towards us. Livie realises the same thing as we both split up and take numerous steps to the side. Just to be safe, I deploy my shield as well. There was no point in me doing so as the beast completely misses the both of us; it lands face first in the area that the two of us together. We instantly take advantage and run towards the beast, hacking at its side fins. However, the Aragami recovered quicker than I expected and thrashed to the side. I was lucky enough to avoid the first thrash before deploying my shield and meeting a second thrash with it. The momentum from the beast transferred to me and I was forced back several metres. I see Livie jump to hit the beast's dorsal fin several times as I recover from the blow-back. The Gboro-Gboro turns its attention to Livie in the meantime. I change my Arc to Gun Form and fire several mortars at its dorsal fin. The Aragami screams in pain as its discoloured insides are revealed; the dorsal fin bond breaking. Thinking quickly, I set up a paralysis trap in front of me and change my Arc back to Melee Form. I smile as the Gboro-Gboro ignores Livie's attacks and turns towards me. It roars before charging towards me. My smile only grows as the paralysis trap activates and leaves the Aragami unable to move. Being unable to defend itself, it takes the full force assault of Livie and I. It doesn't recover from the paralysis as it falls to the ground. I remove its core.

"Heh, now it's mission complete." I comment with a smile.

"Not quite." Livie speaks up and I turn towards her only to see that she's fiddling with the cables attached to the control device. Not knowing how I could help, I merely stand beside her and wait for her to speak if she wants me to do something.

The rest of the day passes by relatively uneventfully. I hold a few conversations with my fellow God Eaters but I only remember one of them going into the new day. The Consecration Ceremony will be held tomorrow. I look at the time for the final time that night and realise that the ceremony won't be tomorrow, but it will be today instead because it is after midnight. I look to the ceiling with a smile on my face before my eyelids close, not to reopen for several hours.

A/N: I apologise that it's a short chapter. I didn't think it would be right to include the ceremony within this chapter. Plus, there's the fact that I haven't updated the story for a month, so I'm a bit rusty at the minute. I had decided to get all of my coursework out of the way early on so that I can ditch the lectures and have more time for myself. Thus, more time for this fanfiction as well as the PS4. I still intend on updating this more frequently than I have been doing. So, sorry that I haven't been doing that.


	106. Chapter 106 - Festival part 1

Chapter 106

DISCLAIMER: I DO NOT OWN THE GOD EATER FRANCHISE HOWEVER I DO OWN MY OC.

Also, please leave a review!

Name: Cedrick Esparza  
Gender: Male  
Hairstyle: Style 7 (Dark Brown)

The sounds of a festival well under way is what forced me to open my eyes and greet the bright morning sun. As I become fully custom to the commotion outside, I realise just why there is so much noise. I can hear so many murmurs on the wind as they combine together into one incomprehensible amalgamation. I can't help but smile as I realise the festival is underway. I know that festivals were celebrated regularly in the past, but I can't recall there being many festivals after the Aragami showed up. It's a rare occurrence; knowing that, I don't hesitate while putting my clothes on and completing my morning routine. I don't bother to get breakfast because it is highly likely that there are food stands on the roof, or even in the Outer Ghetto. The first place I should visit is definitely the roof. The idea of having food not made by Mutsumi or the chefs from this branch sounds promising. Plus, I have a ton of money that I can waste. To put it into perspective, I have at least 1,000,000 Fenrir Credits to waste, and I'd still have enough money to survive for a while. Also, since the festival is on the roof, I highly doubt that there are many God Eaters on missions today.

"Well, I guess it's time to investigate the food stands." I smile to myself as I speak. I have no doubt that today will be a good day.

As I reach the rooftop, the sight of numerous festival stalls amazes me. The entire perimeter of the roof is covered in stalls with more covering certain areas of the middle of the roof. There's also a stage right in the centre which I assume will be used later. It's probably where Director Sakaki and Director Feldman will share with all who are participating the good news. We're finally ready to investigate further inside the Spiral Tree. Speaking of which, the tree can clearly be seen from the roof. Despite it being so far away, it still seems to tower over us. I don't know how I never noticed the size of it before.

"I wonder what Julius would think of this." I hear a male voice and their footsteps as the person stops beside me. "We should probably hold a celebration for when we rescue him." I hear numerous emotions in Gilbert's voice; sadness because Julius can't celebrate with us; longing for the former Captain of our unit to return; happiness due to our progress investigating the Spiral Tree; and a sense of amazement, most likely for the same reason I'm amazed. Gilbert's been a God Eater for a lot longer than I have, but he probably hasn't seen a festival at all. Like me, he most likely heard about them from other people and hasn't had the fortune to attend one until today.

"I'm definitely in favour for that." I reply to Gilbert with a smile of my own. I bet everyone in the branch would want to celebrate Julius' return. With Director Sakaki being the person that he is, I doubt he would reject our plans for a party. After all, the Defence Unit and I had a celebration after that gruelling battle a while ago and, although Sakaki interrupted us it was to deliver good news to the Defence Unit which gave us another reason to celebrate. It's been a few days since I've seen any of them actually, I wonder how they're coping as captains of their own units. "Anyway," I speak up and attempt to change the subject. "Do you have any plans? Or are you just going to wander around?" I ask Gilbert. If he doesn't have any plans, then the two of us can wander around. It's been a while since I've had the time to hang out with him after all.

"I do." He tells me simply, yet with a smile on his face. "Sorry, but I plan on spending the day with Licca." He informs me and I can't help but stare at him. Him and Licca are spending the day together?

"I see." The corner of my mouth extend upwards. "Licca is a good-looking woman, I'm not surprised you want to take advantage of the situation and ask her on a date." I think I hide the mischievousness in my voice quite well as I speak.

"No. No." He quickly dismisses my thoughts. "It's nothing like that. I just want to thank her for all that she's done for me. I wouldn't be able to experiment with God Arcs if it wasn't for her." He explains that the reason he wants to take Licca out is for a thank you gift of sorts. "Anyway, will you be inviting Ciel to hang out with you?" At the mention of my love interest's name, my heart picks up in pace. However, it feels as though there is a raincloud above my head. I know that my heart wants me to be with Ciel, but the reality of the situation is that Ciel doesn't want that. My brain knows that which is why I feel saddened at the situation. It's been such a long time since Ciel had broken my heart, and yet I can't get over her.

"Maybe." I reply simply, only realising a matter of seconds after that such a short response must be suspicious to Gilbert. I look up to him to see if his response, again only realising that I held my head down. The look on his face seems to be full of pity; and I hate it. I walk away from him and head towards a random stand. "Have fun with Licca, Gil." I give a wave as I continue walking, not bothering to look behind me. The chances are that he is still looking at me as I walk away, still with a pitiful look on his face.

The stand I end up walking towards is a pretty small one. I look at all of the items that are on display and realise that it's a jewellery stall. I pick up one of the rings and, looking closer, it looks like Quadriga metal that has been bent into shape.

"I see that you like the Quadring." The old woman operating the stall speaks up with a kind smile on her face. "It usually costs 100,000 Fenrir Credits (FC), but I'll let you have it for 60,000 FC." The woman probably thinks that it's a good deal, but I definitely don't. Considering that I had previously bought five silver bullets attached to a necklace for a total of 50,000 FC, this is definitely something that I do not need. I immediately put the ring down.

"No thanks. I don't have anyone I could give it to anyway." Just being reminded about that silver bullet necklace is enough for the raincloud above my head to turn into a thundercloud.

"You don't have to give it to someone. You could wear it yourself, you know." The woman persists on trying to sell it to me. I take a step back from the stall.

"No thanks." I muster up the best smile I can despite my sour mood. "I don't want to wear jewellery." I give a wave as I move onto the next stall. It's true that I don't particularly like jewellery, that is if I'm wearing it. However, if it is someone else wearing it, I think it would probably suit them. Just like the silver bullet necklace that I gave Ciel a long time ago. I look along the same row of stalls that the old woman who was selling jewellery was on and find that all the stalls along this row are selling items. Most of them don't look like they'll be very useful. I'm sure I saw a few Restore Pills that a man was trying to sell for 25,000 FC each. If I'm honest, I'm not surprised they're selling at that price. As far as I'm aware, only God Eaters can get them, but how did this man gain access to them? Either he is officially licenced to sell them, or he's stolen them from other God Eaters. Regardless, I should probably just stay away from that guy's store. I head towards the next row of stalls, but before I can reach them I manage to hear a female voice from a distance away.

"Do you have any necklaces with bullets hanging from them?" The voice sounds like Ciel's, but there's no way that it belongs to her. Why would she be asking for a silver bullet necklace especially when she had destroyed the one I had given her? I dismiss the voice and continue walking to the next row of stalls.

Unlike the last row of stalls, this row seems to be selling all types of food. I take a deep breath of air through my nose and relish in the amount of tasty smells in the air. My stomach chooses now to remind me that I haven't had any breakfast yet. So, after numerous walks up and down the row, I finally decide to sit down at one of them.

"Greetings Captain." A man in Fenrir uniform greets me with a smile from behind the counter. "What will you be having?" I look at the menu just to make sure I've got the name of the dish right. As I was walking along the stalls, I noticed that this stall was the only one with this dish.

"I'll have the uh… las-ag-ne?" As I realise I can't pronounce it, I point to the dish on the menu. The man has a confused look on his face until he follows my finger to what I'm pointing to.

"Oh! Lasagne!" He realises what I meant and gives, what I assume, to be the correct pronunciation of the dish.

"Lasagne… Lasagne…. Lasagne…" I repeat to myself a few times as I try to master the pronunciation. "Yes, I'll take the lasagne please." I inform him with a smile on his face.

"Good choice, Captain. This dish was sent to us from Headquarters." He smiles while speaking as he moves around the back of the stall preparing my dish. As he preps it, I only now notice that there still isn't a lot of people attending the festival yet. I wonder if all of the noise I heard before was from the festival stalls in the Outer Ghetto. There seems to be a maximum of about 50 people here at the minute. "Apparently," I turn my attention back to the man in uniform as he continues speaking. "This dish was from a land once known as Italy."

"Really? Where was this Italy land?" I've never heard of a place called Italy before.

"Not too far away from the French Branch, supposedly." The officer continues working on the dish while talking. It only takes a couple more minutes before he walks back towards me with the lasagne on a plate. "That will be 32,000 Fenrir Credits please." It's a little bit more expensive than the meals that Mutsumi usually cooks, but since this is a foreign dish, I'll dismiss the fact that it is pricey. The chances are that I'll never really be able to eat this dish again, so I should just enjoy it while I can. I give the man the money and I dig into the meal. As soon as I put a forkful in my mouth, I can instantly taste the meat and the cheese within the dish. It burns me at the same time, forcing me to swallow it quickly to prevent it from burning my mouth. It does burn my oesophagus on the way down, but it's much more tolerable than burning my mouth. The officer chuckles at the sight. "I should have warned you it was hot."

"Heh… yeah, you should have." I reply, a little out of breath before scooping up my next mouthful and blowing on it to cool it down.

It takes me ten minutes to finish the dish and say goodbye to the officer who provided it for me. I decide to move on to the next set of stalls to see what they have. Within the past ten minutes, the roof had gotten busier. There's still enough space to move around in, but the chances of one stall having less than three people around at a time are very slim. It's quite a scary place for an introvert like me who likes to spend time with a small number of people at a time, and those people have to be people that I know. So, in other words, they have to be God Eaters that I know since I barely know any of the residents of this area. Thus, I continue walking from row to row of the stalls to find one that barely has any people.

Eventually, I notice a stall that has no people and I head over to it. As soon as I do, I realise why there is nobody at the stall. On display, there are numerous multi-coloured Restore Pills and behind the stall is someone who I can only associate with Restore Pills.

"Hey, Cap'n! Wanna try my Restore Pills?" The girl exclaims happily. Whether it's because she finally has someone at her stall or because the Captain of her unit turned up, either way I suppose I can humour her for a while. At least I'll be able to enjoy some quiet time with her since I doubt any other stalls will be as quiet as this. I make sure to take a seat at one of the ends so that if, and I mean _if_ , anyone else shows up then they don't need to sit next to me.

"What poisonous flavours do you have in store today, Nana?" I say with a sigh but with a smile on my face. It has always amazed me how this woman is always able to be so energetic.

"They're not poisonous!" She speaks with a little frown on her face but it quickly disappears. "Although Licca said I probably shouldn't run a stall just for these. So," She ducks behind the stall and disappears from my sight for a second before reappearing with a large smile on her face. "For a limited time only, every purchase of a Restore Pill will come with a free Oden Sammich!" I can't help but smile at Nana's antics.

"In that case," I look at the Restore Pills in front of me. Each of them look as bad as the rest. It's never good to see a Restore Pill that has colours you don't usually see together. I'm pretty sure that they would probably burn my mouth like acid. I place a hand over my eye (since an eyepatch blocks my fake one) and blindly move my hand back and forth between all of the Restore Pills.

"Just pick one already." Nana complains, but I honestly don't want my hand to stop over any of them. Having my eye covered leaves me to the mercy of luck. It reminds me of the first time that Nana made flavoured Restore Pills. It's not exactly a great memory. "If you're not going to stop then…" I hear Nana say before I feel a soft hand in mine. My eye opens but my hand still blocks my sight. I feel the hand in my own dragging mine to a stop. I remove the hand that blocks my sight and see which one I'm pointing to. Thankfully, the Restore Pill doesn't look to be the worst one there, although it's far from the best. It's a dark yellow in colour.

"I hope there's no bias in this choice." I mutter, really not wanting to suffer the worst option just because we're friends.

"Of course not, I picked one randomly. Besides, I don't even know what flavours are in these anyway." She smiles as she speaks, and I can't help but stare at her. Today might be the day I die… I still feel a warmth despite that thought. It doesn't take long to realise why.

"You can let go of my hand now, Nana." She does so instantly with a nervous chuckle, and I pick up the pill that she forced my hand to stop over. "It's now or never." I bring the pill closer to my mouth but can't find the courage to eat it. "Nana, if I die, take care of Ciel for me."

"You shouldn't joke about that!" I can feel numerous emotions in her voice; sadness, anger, regret. I had meant it just as a joke, but I realise now that it was a bit insensitive. Feeling guilty now, I look to Nana one last time and see her face reflects those opinions. I shovel it into my mouth and crunch into it. Unsurprisingly, it tastes awful. It tastes as though she used out of date ingredients. Nevertheless, I manage to swallow it.

"Give me that Oden Sandwich." I tell her and she hands it out towards me with a smile.

"How was it?" She looks at me expectedly.

"Awful." I grumble before gobbling down the Oden Sandwich almost instantly to get rid of the taste. It doesn't stop the unease in my stomach though.

"You must have gotten one of the bad tasting ones then." She smiles cheekily. I know now that I should never play Russian roulette with her again unless it is something that I made myself, like those sandwiches a while ago. I leave her stand a minute later, wishing her the best of luck in attracting customers and not killing them, before I continue wandering around the festival. I wonder who else I'll run into today.


	107. Chapter 107 - Festival part 2

Chapter 107

DISCLAIMER: I DO NOT OWN THE GOD EATER FRANCHISE HOWEVER I DO OWN MY OC.

Also, please leave a review!

Name: Cedrick Esparza  
Gender: Male  
Hairstyle: Style 7 (Dark Brown)

I walk around the stalls for a couple of minutes before deciding to head back into the Den. More and more people are starting to show up on the rooftop, I was beginning to feel uncomfortable being around so many people I don't know. Thus, I'm retreating inside the Den for the time being…

"Oh fuck." I can't supress my utterance as I see herds of people I don't know scattered around the Den. It appears as though they're taking this opportunity to give themselves their own kind of tour. After all, how often are civilians allowed into the Far East Branch? Not very often. The last time I remember was when people were being infected by the Black Plague that the Red Rain brought down. At that time, I doubt many of them thought about having a tour of the Branch; not that they could since they were quarantined. "I'm just going to have to hope that they're not wanting to take a tour of Blood's quarters." I whisper to myself as I try and sneak by the ever-growing crowds to get back to my room.

The sounds of the crowds don't die down as I approach Blood's quarters and I begin to fear the worst. As soon as I climb down the stairs to reach Blood's quarters, I hide behind a wall and peer out towards my room. As I do so, I see a large crowd gathering in front of my unit's rooms.

"Settle down everyone." That sounds like Director Sakaki. I can't see him though. I look around the crowd and try to find him before the realisation hits me. He is probably standing right next to me. Nervously, I turn around, the hairs on my neck standing on edge. He's not there though. I look around me completely and can't see him anywhere near. I turn my attention back to peering out at the crowd in confusion. Why would people even be gathering in front of our rooms anyway? "If you could all sit down, there's plenty of her to go around." That sounds ominous, but most of the crowd does what he says.

"How did I get caught up in this?" I hear Ciel speak up. As the crowd sits down, I realise that Ciel is sitting behind a table. Director Sakaki stands next to her.

"Now, we'll do the usual procedures." Sakaki informs the crowd with a large smile.

"What is the usual procedure?" Ciel asks Sakaki with confusion in her voice although she does her best to pull off a poker face. Then again, her face is usually like that.

"Don't worry, Vice-Captain of Blood." I'm sure Sakaki said that to show her off to the crowd. For some reason, I feel pretty pissed as I hear that, but I can't help but continue to watch. "I've arranged this situation many of times." He addresses her before turning back to the crowd of people. "Now, because we don't have a lot of time, I'm afraid that we've had to limit the number of options available. So, we'll only be doing signatures and photographs. Signatures cost 20,000FC while Photographs cost 60,000FC." I didn't take Director Sakaki to be the type of person to take advantage of things like festivals. He's using this festival as an excuse to make money using Ciel. That just irritates me even more. I turn my attention to Ciel, who seems to be taking this very well. "We'll start with this row. Then we'll go onto the next row…" He explains how everyone will get the chance to get a signature or photograph. She seems to be holding up pretty well.

"Why do I need to do this?" Or is she doing well? "Wouldn't the Blood Captain be better?" I'm pretty sure she looks directly at me as she says this, and I quickly pull my head back behind the wall to avoid being caught by Sakaki.

"The Blood Captain's here?" One of the members of the crowd speaks up and I hear the excitement in his voice. I feel my heart beginning to quicken.

"Where is he?" One of the female members asks.

"How much for a hug with the Captain?" Another woman asks, and my heart rate increases again.

"As far as I'm aware, the Captain of Blood is busy." I almost breathe a sigh of relief at Sakaki's voice. "I know you're all big fans of the Captain, but there will be more chances to get to see him." As Sakaki begins speaking, I poke out an eye again and instantly see Ciel staring at me. Her eyes not leaving the area in which I've been hiding. I can see her face clearly, and I'm pretty sure I can see the corners of her mouth turn upwards, evilly. The only reason I think that she'd smile like that, is to sell me out. I watch her for a couple of more seconds and see Ciel moving around in her pocket. It's clearly going to be something that will expose my hiding place, but I'm curious on what it is. I think the only thing that could give away my position is a mirror; she holds it out in front of her and the audience can look into it and see my exposed head as I look around the corner. But that wouldn't happen, right? That's just too imaginative. But then, what is she looking into her pockets for? She turns further away from me as she searches deeper into her pocket. I extend my head further from behind the wall to see. I catch a glimpse of a wider smile on Ciel's face, and I realise within seconds what her intention was. I quickly pull my head back behind the wall. "Ciel, are you ready?"

"Tch…" I hear her click her tongue and peer at her again. She no longer has a smile on her face, but I do. I realised that she was trying to make me expose my own position by making me curious as to what was in her pocket. "I guess so." I wait until she locks eyes with me again and reveal a sinister smile of my own. For the first time since she's joined Blood, I've managed to ruin one of her plans. I wait until the first few people go for their photographs before I leave her alone. After all, I don't want them taking indecent photographs of her, y'know trying to touch her and things like that…

It isn't until I get back to the roof that I realise that whole situation made me forget about my fear of crowds. Thus, I realise it probably would have been much easier for me to join Ciel since there was a much smaller crowd. I doubt it's because she has so few fans. It's probably because there was a limit on the number of people that could access the signature/photoshoot at one point. I must've only been in Blood's quarters for a few minutes, but the crowd must have grown even larger. Right now, I'd rather be fighting Aragami than fighting my way through the crowd. In the end though, I decide to push through the crowd. I'm sure food will be exactly what I need. Thus, I navigate my way to the food stands.

A few minutes later, numerous God Arc Soldiers march into the festival. I keep track of them and see them stop next to the large stage. At the same time, I notice Director Feldman stepping onto the stage.

"It must be time for the ceremony." I mumble to myself, continuing to watch as Feldman walks up to the podium.

"I am honoured to work with the Far East on this grand endeavour!" He begins, "Together we can stride into history and change this world. Great sacrifices have already been made in the name of progress. Captain Julius Visconti and Doctor Rachel Claudius gave up their lives to erect the Spiral Tree. To bless this land with fertility once more." I'm really not a fan of his words. Julius is still alive, and he knows it. "This beautiful, hollowed tree serves as mankind's strongest bastion. Keeping at bay the threat of apocalypse forever!" I look to the tree in statement as he speaks. It's true that there are two Devouring Apocalypses held within it, but we still need to rescue Julius. That's the reason why I'm allowing my unit to take part in investigations with it. That is our only objective. I turn back to Feldman as he continues in his booming voice. "Now humanity can stand again as one! Free from terror, destruction and Aragami. Humanity will survive!" His speech elicits a positive roar from the crowd. They're eating up his words.

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Meanwhile, as Director Feldman speaks, within the control room, two Fenrir officers watch on.

"Wow. They're really loving it." One of the men speaks up in surprise at the positive roar Feldman receives from the crowd.

"Yeah, the Director certainly has a knack for these sortsa things." The other one replies as they both intently watch the consecration ceremony, not realising that control device 5 has erratic, unusual readings.

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At Control Device 5 within the Forest of the Apocalypse, a strange anomaly is occurring. The yellow areas of the device are quickly overcome with a red liquid that seems to fill the entirety of the device. At which point, the control device bursts open as black, inky appendages collide with the ground before they shoot off in all directions; tainting the pure oracle cells that it hits. They turn purple and ominous as they spread throughout the smaller trees surrounding the area.

"It is in honour of their beloved memory…" Director Feldman continues the ceremony, unknowing of this new development. "Of those that fell in service of the greater good… That we dedicate this shining tree. Our Sacred Ground. We of Fenrir hereby swear to defend humankind's beautiful baston!" The crowd roars with appraisal as he speaks, but then the light provided by the sun instantly lessens and the roof begins to shake. I look to the sky and see a large, black cloud above us as it heads towards the Spiral Tree. Everyone else notices these things as well, even the Director as he watches his glass of water slowly rumble closer towards him, like the effects of an impending earthquake. As quickly as it appears, the black cloud moves away from us and continues its journey, but then,

"BOOOOM!" A very loud bang and very erratic shaking brings the entire area into an uproar. Despite the situation, I find myself supressing a giggle as I see Director Feldman fall flat on his arse. However, things have quickly taken a serious turn for the worse. I manage to keep my footing, barely, by bending my knees almost into a squatting position. Other people are less fortunate though and are carried away with the erratic shaking of the building. The reason why can be seen by merely looking out into the distance. It's just as I had suspected; many large cracks form in the earth and almost break away from it; it's an earthquake. However, we I didn't expect was to see large, purple tendrils rise from the ground and wiggle like snakes. The tendrils only appear around the Spiral Tree, but the ground is still in shock for miles that we can feel the effects of the ground tearing open. The tendrils coil around the Spiral Tree and it appears to be in the process of turning purple; tainted. It doesn't take long before the entirety of the Spiral Tree is an ominous purple and the head of it twists unnaturally. Very large bubble appear from its surface as well as numerous purple spikes that erupt so quickly from the tree that they cause a purple gas cloud to be emitted from every spike. As the gas cloud clears, and the shaking of the ground comes to a complete stop, everyone notices that the Spiral Tree looks drastically different. First, a large purple spike can be seen at the top.

"What the devil is that?" Director Feldman's surprised and fearful voice is the only thing that can be heard. There are no sounds of the festival, not even from the people in the Outer Ghetto. The new Spiral Tree has finally bloomed its flower. Everyone, including me, is stunned silent. However, we're no doubt silent for different reasons. Does this new formation of the Spiral Tree mean that Julius has failed in his self-assigned mission? Is he dead? A Fenrir officer runs up to Director Feldman and whispers into his ear. "Spin the choppers and evacuate the civilians." Is Feldman's response. "I need all the intel in my hands as soon as possible. You have thirty minutes at most. Get going." He calmly demands to the man who nods and salutes to him before running off. There's no doubt in my mind now, we have less time to investigate the Spiral Tree.


	108. Chapter 108 - The Theory

Chapter 108

DISCLAIMER: I DO NOT OWN THE GOD EATER FRANCHISE HOWEVER I DO OWN MY OC.

Also, please leave a review!

Name: Cedrick Esparza  
Gender: Male  
Hairstyle: Style 7 (Dark Brown)

30 minutes later, Director Feldman and Director Sakaki had called Kota, Lindow and I into the meeting room to discuss his findings of what has happened to the Spiral Tree. I wasn't even aware that Lindow was even in the Den. He must have recently arrived after helping his own unit Cradle.

"We'll keep the briefing short." Feldman begins in a stern tone that attempts to intimidate us to prevent an interruption. "As regards to the changes in the Spiral Tree, we can't even gain access to the outer edges." He informs us simply, like he said he would. I can't help the frown that appears on my face at this news. This is a setback. We won't be able to rescue Julius as quickly as we hoped. "The investigation won't be easy. All we know is that the shift was brought about by an outside catalyst. Moreover… Julius' Singularity Response has disappeared from all our scans."

"Wait, what?" The news comes as a shock to me and I silently begin pleasing that there is just something wrong with the scanners. If Julius' signal has been lost, doesn't that mean he's dead?

"Did something happen to him?" Kota asks in worry, and I must admit that I'm thankful for it. Right now, I'm not sure if I could formulate my words to ask such a thing. "Is the Devouring Apocalypse going to push through?"

"Most likely…" Lindow answers him with a grim looking face. "Though we have no real way of knowing."

"If so, there may not be much time left." Sakaki states plainly. In other words, despite the setback to the plan, we need to pick up the pace. Otherwise not just Julius, but the whole world will be at stake. Director Feldman nods his head in response, confirming Sakaki's words to be true.

"I'm considering alternative measures to resolve this situation effectively. We'll continue to scour the exterior for any clues we can find. As well as commencing an operation to enter the tree." Feldman's most recent remark confuses me and yet excites me. I thought that we can't enter the tree due to its new formation? But if there's a plan to enter the tree surely, it's not impossible…

"Seriously?! You wanna go inside that thing?" A surprised Kota asks the Director.

"I wish to put my theory to the test." Feldman's plain response doesn't do much to ease my nervousness. We're going to act based on a theory? I understand that theories need to be tested, but this could cost us our lives. He won't put us at risk just for that, right? "I could explain it, but it's better to show you. Please, join me on Friar." He walks through the middle of us, ending the briefing for the time being.

And so, a short walk later finds us overlooking the training room aboard Friar. This place brings back memories; it was here that I became a God Eater. A small smile spreads on my face but it soon dissipates as I notice that there's someone and something in the training room. It doesn't take long to figure out that the 'someone' is Livie due to her red hood and dark complexion. However, it takes a little bit longer to ascertain the identity of the 'something'. It's a God Arc. A God Arc that I'm rather familiar with; Julius' God Arc. It's laid out in front of Livie and I can guess what's about to happen. I want to voice my opinion on this but I can't make myself known due to a lump in my throat. I know what's about to happen, Livie touches Julius' God Arc and becomes infected, so why can't I stand up for her! Nobody can touch another person's God Arc as if it were their own; Livie and Feldman should know this. So, why is she so calm about it? She's about to forfeit her life for no good reason at all! So, why the fuck is she so calm about it?!

"Livie, please stand by until everything is prepared." Feldman coldheartedly tells her. He knows that her life is in danger and still goes through with his theory? That's awful. There's no way I could work for a man like him if he'd risk someone's life to test his theory? What sort of theory would mean using another's God Arc anyway?

"Yes, sir." Livie responds with no fear or worry in her voice, and it only confuses me further. Is she willing to die to test Feldman's theory? Please let that not be the case.

"Hey, I know that God Arc." Lindow speaks up, only just catching on that this God Arc doesn't belong to Livie.

"Yes, Julius', and with any luck, our key to the Spiral Tree. Do you know what must be done with a God Eater who has fallen to the Aragami infection?" Feldman asks us, and I remember that Lindow, standing to my left, once told me that he had been infected before.

"Yes, sir." Kota answers sadly but I'm not sure why.

"Hmm… I think everyone in the Far East knows how to handle that. With some exceptions." Lindow speaks up.

"One of those exceptions is me. What must be done?" It was clear that staying silent wasn't something I could do in this situation. Feldman wouldn't have brought it up for no reason. So, it's likely that I'll miss something if I didn't know what 'must be done'.

"The best way to protect lives is to eradicate the rogue infected with their own God Arc." Feldman's answer just confuses me. I mean, how will an infected person be killed with their own Arc? I doubt many infected people decide to stab themselves with it? I don't want to speak up again though, I can ask someone later how it would work. I only needed to understand the principles, yes? "Hence, if the Spiral Tree is somehow still Julius after infection by the Apocalypse… The only way to create an entrance is to carve one out with his own God Arc."

"Great plan, except it's impossible to use someone else's God Arc." I silently cheer as Kota speaks what's on my mind. It's almost like he's telepathic. I'm glad I'm not the only one who doesn't understand this.

"Normally true. That is, except for her." Feldman answers him as if he expected the question, but this does little to cure the confusion from our minds. Livie can somehow use someone else's God Arc? How is that possible?

"Director Feldman," One of the staff members speaks to grab his attention, "we've accessed Julius' God Arc, it should be ready, sir."

"Livie, if you're prepared, please begin." Feldman addresses Livie after hearing the news from the staff member. We see her close her eyes and take a deep breath before placing her hand on her God Arc. Instantaneously, purple spikes travel up her arm, shooting out from any piece of skin available. She grunts in pain as she brings her left hand to comfort her right hand.

"Is she gonna be okay?" I can't help but ask, finally finding my voice. She's infected now, right? Or does this happen every time that Livie uses another person's God Arc?

"Rnngh! Argh!" Her grunts of pain only continue, and I can't take my eyes away from her; not blinking once.

"Livie has several Bias Factors within her and is unique in that she can bond with any God Arc." Feldman begins explaining. Livie no longer grunts in pain and my eyes soften slightly but a purple mist still surrounds her suggesting, to me, that she's been infected. "Once she has completed the process and become one with Julius' Arc, she can cut us a path into the tree." Feldman explains as the purple mist around Livie dissipates. Her arms still tremble though as she breathes heavily.

"20% Compatibility, sir." The same staff member points out.

"Excellent. Livie, you may stop." Feldman tells her, to my relief, and she pulls away from Julius's God Arc. However, she still looks like she is suffering. "Battle experience will be required to increase compatibility further."

"Understood." Livie doesn't complain and merely accepts that this is her fate.

"Captain Esparza," I turn to Feldman as he addresses me, he also turns towards me. "I understand you possess the Evoke ability. I am told it increases the power of God Arcs and allows the wielder to learn unique talents."

"That's right." I already know where he is going with this. It doesn't take a genius to figure it out, after all.

"Good. Accompany Corporal Livie on the exterior scouting. Help her to acquire a Blood Art." It's just as I had guessed. "She'll need the full power of Julius' Arc if we're to have a chance of entering the tree. I trust you know what's at stake." He dismisses us at that and I meet up with Livie. It seems as though I'll be taking her under my wing to learn a Blood Art too…


	109. Chapter 109 - Patrolling around the Tree

Chapter 109

DISCLAIMER: I DO NOT OWN THE GOD EATER FRANCHISE HOWEVER I DO OWN MY OC.

Also, please leave a review!

Name: Cedrick Esparza  
Gender: Male  
Hairstyle: Style 7 (Dark Brown)

God Arc: Mechblade Vidofnir (Long Blade), F-SD Shot (Blast Gun), Kurogane Tower B (Tower Shield)  
Blood Art: Misty Moon III

"It appears as though the Oracle Cells within the Spiral Tree has attracted some unwanted attention from larger Aragami." Livie informs me as we walk around the outer edges of the Spiral Tree, referring to the abundance of smaller Aragami we've recently fought in the area. "So, we need to be prepared to face anything." She continues to explain but I don't pay too much attention. I never thought I'd see the day when Julius' God Arc returned to battle and wasn't controlled by him. It's a scary sight. What will happen when Julius returns? Will his God Arc still accept him? Maybe I'm thinking too much about this… After all, Livie won't be using his God Arc for the entirety of this investigation, right? It's just until she's carved an entrance into the Spiral Tree, I think.

As we continue walking, we approach Forest: 2nd Side, as it has been called, and we hear the movement of a large Aragami; just as Livie said. In fact, it sounds like a number of Aragami. We stealthily peer into the area and see one magmatic Borg Camlann.

"All right, this shouldn't be too hard." I comment with a smile on my face. Although, with Livie using a God Arc that she's only 20% compatible with, it may be a bit difficult for her. It's basically like saying her God Arc will only produce one fifth of the power her normal one does. "On second thoughts, maybe not." I don't doubt my capabilities to defeat this Aragami by myself, but I'm supposed to teach Livie how to use a Blood Art. So, I can't really just kill the beast by myself. "How do you usually conduct operations with a different God Arc?" I decide to just ask her what the best course of action would be to take.

"I just fight." I simply stare at her because of her short response. That's it? Just go in and attack like she usually would do?

"Fine. We'll do what we have been doing." I sigh at how things have turned out. I ended up overthinking for nothing. Turning my attention back to the Aragami, I realise that it's started moving away from us.

"Let's go." She continues her simple speech, and we head towards the Aragami that has no idea of our presence.

We sneak up on it pretty easily. We both swing our God Arcs at the same time; I hit the tail while Livie hits the side of its shield. I'm amazed that she was able to go undetected while right next to its shield. It was definitely a risky move. One wrong move and she could have been fatally hit. However, she isn't a rookie, thus she isn't inexperienced. She knows how to be stealthy and how to fatally wound an Aragami. I don't need to worry about things like that. The large scorpion roars as it feels the brunt of both of our attacks. We continue despite the loud noise the Aragami makes. It's important to land your attacks whenever possible. As we continue slashing, the Aragami begins to visibly shake. Knowing what's coming, I instinctively look up,

"Rockets above!" It's a simple exclamation, but it does the trick as Livie and I deploy our shields to avoid being hit by the rockets. They're easily avoidable but the swinging tail attack from the Borg Camlann isn't so I keep my shield deployed to avoid any damage from the attack. I skid multiple metres backwards and Livie does the same. As soon as we are able to though, we are instantly back on the attack. I launch four bullets at the beast before charging towards it just as Livie did before me. While doing so, I see that Livie doesn't seem to be doing much damage to the Borg Camlann who has since put its arms together to put a shield in front of its head. Before I can reach it though, several more rockets are fired in my direction. Deploying my shield again, I avoid damage and then run straight at it and hit it in the face several times before switching to its legs. The Aragami tries to initiate a swinging tail attack, but I jump over it and continue hacking away at its legs. Within a couple of seconds, the Borg Camlann stumbles. Livie and I take advantage of it and relentlessly hack away at whatever we can.

After about ten minutes of repetitive actions, we manage to defeat the Borg Camlann. I look over to Livie and see her using her arm to wipe the sweat off of her face. Usually, just one Aragami isn't this tiring for the both of us, but since Livie is using Julius' God Arc. She must be in a lot of pain even just holding that thing.

"Blood Captain," I can hear Fran's voice through my headset. "A Kyuubi has been spotted in your area. We estimate it will arrive in two minutes."

"Did you hear that?" I ask Livie, seeing her hold a finger up to her ear, pressing down on where the earphone is positioned.

"Yes, we should think of a plan of attack before it arrives." She suggests in a monotonous voice, the sweat still dripping from her. Although she doesn't realise it, my eyes track a few sweat drops as the travel down her neck and eventually reach her cleavage. She doesn't exactly have a big rack, compared to Ciel whose is enormous, but they still look pretty good. She turns away, breaking my line of sight with her boobs and I inwardly sigh. "We can't discuss a plan in the open like this. We don't know where it will arrive." She states, and I can't help but agree with her reasoning, although I was expecting to get a slap across the face or something for staring at her boobs. Livie walks away and I follow her. I'm not sure how I'll get her to learn a Blood Art at this rate. I don't even know if it's possible for her to learn one when she's using Julius' God Arc since Julius already had a Blood Art before I joined the unit. I guess only time will tell…

Another ten minutes later, we've defeated the Kyuubi and, again, are continuing to walk around the outer edges of the Spiral Tree only with one difference. This time, Livie's exhaustion is clearly visible. She trudges forward, one foot in front of the other, and carrying Julius' God Arc at her side. It seems as though the God Arc has doubled in mass since Livie is so exhausted.

"Should we stop?" I ask concerningly.

"Huh? Why?" Even the way Livie answers me sounds fatigued but there's no way she can't see how tired she is, right?

"You're exhausted. There's no way we'll be able to continue at this pace." Unlike when I was training the Defence Unit to obtain Blood Arts, Livie has to learn a Blood Art with an Arc that isn't hers. So, it makes sense that she would be tired after that fight. We were up against a Borg Camlann and a Kyuubi after all. The latter of which took Cradle and I to fight against it the first time. Now though, it only took the two of us, although Livie is feeling the effects of such a difficult fight. Instead of responding to me though, she just marches forward at an increased pace. I just hope she realises that she's going to become even more tired than she is if she continues at this pace. Regardless, I speed up and easily keep up with her…

As we continued our job, Fran got in contact with us and said that a Prithvi Mata would soon be entering the area. Knowing how exhausted Livie seems to be, I asked Fran to send another person as backup for us. I highly doubt Livie will be able to fight efficiently in her current condition, so another person would help to split the effort between us. However, for the remainder of the day, the Prithvi Mata did not show up. Thus, the three of us decided to stay through the night in case it did appear. Of course, one of us had to stay on watch through the night to see if the Aragami did appear. I nominated myself to be that person since Livie clearly needed her rest, and sleeping next to me, a guy, probably wouldn't help her to rest. Nana was the person that Fran sent and I'm glad that Fran did send her. She's a very upbeat person and her attitude is something that Livie and I are missing. Nana's bubbliness certainly pairs well with us, it helps to cheer me up anyway. I just hope that it helps to cheer Livie up.

"Maybe we're more alike than I thought." I whisper to myself, arms folded as I lean back into the chair. After all, Livie and I aren't very talkative. That's why it's difficult to create a conversation when it's just us two. Continuing to lean into the chair, I feel my eyelids beginning to feel heavy. I desperately try to fight the urge to fall asleep and manage to keep from doing so by assuming an uncomfortable position on the ground. I had decided to lie down next to Nana in the hopes that sleeping next to someone of the opposite gender would keep me from falling asleep due to the excitement. After all, it isn't every day that you get an opportunity like this, and so I take advantage of it by letting my eyes wander over Nana's body. She dresses very lightly which doesn't leave much to the imagination. However, I'd still like to see what she looks like with less on. Livie too for that matter. She seems to be the type that keeps most of her body covered, but a lot of women like that are usually the best-looking ones. Take Ciel as an example. She covers almost all of her body, except for her thighs which just begs a man's imagination to go wild. As I continue looking over the girls' bodies, I feel my mind slowly becoming hazy and my thoughts become unintelligible. Eventually, I fall asleep…

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"Livie reporting, target has been sighted. Commencing primary execution tactics." The woman with a red hood reports back to her Director while keeping an eye on the downed man that sits in the middle of the snow storm. This snow storm doesn't seem to effect Livie either as she confidently strides towards the man. As she approaches, the state of the man becomes clearer. His Armlet is damaged and the man clutches his right arm with his left hand. The Oracle infection, due to the lack or damaging of the Armlet, has already spread through his arm as evidenced by the Aragami-like skin on it. Livie charges towards the man with her Scythe-shaped God Arc in hand and delivers a quick slash which makes the man shriek in pain. However, he is undamaged and his breathing becomes more erratic. He begins to visibly shake before a purple mist envelops him. Within seconds, his Armlet breaks off and the Oracle infection spreads rapidly, distorting the man into an Aragami. Realising what must be done, Livie throws her Arc to the ground and runs to the man's God Arc, handling it and being able to use it despite a short period of pain. However, the memories from the man's God Arc quickly flood her head as she sees the man's happier days; he holds a child close to him and in another memory, the same child draws a face on his Armlet. Numerous other memories flash through Livie's head as we find her sitting on a rock, still out in the blizzard having already defeated the man-turned-Aragami.

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Livie awakes with a startle, her breathing heavy and she holds an arm to her chest. She peers to the side and sees Nana blissfully sleeping and happily mumbling. Beside Nana is the Captain of the Blood Unit who also appears to be asleep. Turning her attention away from her teammates, Livie looks to her bandaged Armlet, seemingly thinking to herself.

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	110. Chapter 110 -Livie's Blood Art progress?

Chapter 110

DISCLAIMER: I DO NOT OWN THE GOD EATER FRANCHISE HOWEVER I DO OWN MY OC.

Also, please leave a review!

Name: Cedrick Esparza  
Gender: Male  
Hairstyle: Style 7 (Dark Brown)

God Arc: Mechblade Vidofnir (Long Blade), F-SD Shot (Blast Gun), Kurogane Tower B (Tower Shield)  
Blood Art: Misty Moon III

The Prithvi Mata showed up a mere few hours later. Thankfully, Livie was already awake when it did arrive. She quickly woke us up and we set out to defeat it. What we didn't expect was for a Nyx Alpha to appear with it.

"We're going to need to change our plans." I spoke up cautiously. The both of our targets are within striking distance. There's no doubt that hitting one Aragami will alert them both. "One of us may have to fight one of the Aragami alone. Are you able to switch to Gun Form yet?" I ask Livie. If she can't then we might have an easier time choosing who does what.

"I don't think so." She replies simply, just as I've become accustom to.

"In that case, you're fighting against the Prithvi Mata. Nana," I turn to the other girl on our team.

"I'm ready to take on any Aragami!" She exclaims with a large smile on her face as well as a determined expression. I can't help but smile too.

"In that case, Nana, you should help Livie. I'm pretty sure I read somewhere that crushing attacks are more effective against it."

"Aye aye, Cedrick." Her bubbliness is just the thing that our team needs.

"I'll help out once I've finished with the Nyx Alpha." I respond with a smile, turning my attention back to the two Aragami. As luck would have it, my target is starting to move into a different area. "Stay safe, guys." I whisper before running after the Aragami, my God Arc already set into Gun Form.

I choose not to engage the Aragami straight away, I merely keep an eye on it while I inject my Arc with numerous O-Ampules. After all, melee attacks don't work on Nyx Alphas, so I need all of the Oracle Points I can muster. Once I've filled up five bars of Oracle Points, I stealthily approach the melee-impenetrable Aragami. It has its back turned towards me, but a quick bullet to it makes it turn around. Then, I unload a whole bar of Oracle Points as I shoot at it before it even gets the chance to attack me. Strangely, the Nyx Alpha doesn't attack me as it falls to the ground. It merely stares into the sky, exposing its weakest parts.

"I haven't downed it already, have I?" I fire another round of bullets, depleting another OP bar, and check the Aragami's reaction. Fatigued, it brings itself into the air again, its arms held loosely at its sides. "Really?" I stare in disappointment at the Sariel-type psion. "That's how weak you are when you're by yourself?" The Aragami tries to sweep me off of my feet but I easily avoid it by jumping backwards. "You must only be a worthy enemy when you're with another Aragami. I sigh, the disappointment still clearly evident on my face. I've never solo fought a Nyx Alpha before, so I thought it would be pretty difficult, but seclude it from other Aragami and it's very weak. "How can an Aragami that's impervious to melee attacks be so weak? I expected much better of this." I easily dodge another of its attacks by side stepping away from it. "You had better have some worthy materials when I harvest you." I decide to end its miserable existence now and fire only one more meter-full of Oracle Points at it. The Nyx Alpha falls to the ground and doesn't get back up. I use my Arc to harvest its core. "I suppose you would be strong against most other Aragami," I speak while harvesting it, "Except the ones that can launch some bullets or projectiles." I remember Damian telling me that there was a time when God Eaters only had melee weapons, maybe if this psion was around back then it would be a troublesome foe. "Not now though." I voce my thoughts as I check the materials that I was able to harvest. I was able to harvest numerous 'Blessed Bones', 'Blessed Halos' and 'Blessed Flesh'. "I wonder if I can upgrade my Arc at some point." It's been a while since I've been able to, and I bet that an upgraded Arc will be beneficial for me in the near future. I can't keep relying on underpowered God Arcs, after all. Quietly thinking to myself, I run back to the area in which I left my teammates to fight the Prithvi Mata.

Instantly upon entering the area, I am forced to deploy my shield as numerous icicles a shot towards me. I smile to myself as I finally have a challenge.

"Your friend was very weak!" I shout to the Prithvi Mata, only realising afterwards that doing so was a complete waste of time. Although, it should get the message across to Nana and Livie. As the icicles stop, I rush towards the Aragami and deliver a couple of slashes to its torso before being forced to deploy my shield and stop much larger pieces of ice from piercing me. I keep my shield deployed as the effeminate feline Aragami leaps towards me. Its momentum carries over to me and I'm forced backwards a few metres. The Prithvi Mata roars and I choose this moment to fire the rest of my Oracle Points into its face. At the same time, Nana uses her hammer to crush its face; unbinding it and dealing massive damage. "Nice hit, Nana!" She says something in response, but the blood is rushing to my ears. It's been a while since I've felt like this. Maybe it just took a disappointing Aragami to make me realise how exciting it can be to have a challenge. For the first time in a while, I'm actually enjoying a fight…

The next couple of hours were the most fun I've had in a long time. Not long after the Prithvi Mata was killed, a Dyaus Pita showed up. It was unexpected and I actually fell due to its attacks, but Nana healed me and I thoroughly enjoyed killing the Dyaus Pita. We also had to fight a Corrosive Hannibal. It was easy with the three of us though. However, we're now back at the Far East Branch where, while I'm busy upgrading my God Arc, Livie was called into a meeting with Director Feldman.

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"Are your Blood Arts advancing, Livie?" Director Feldman addresses the woman dressed in a red hood in front of him.

"Yes, sir. I'm transitioning rather well." The girl answers him, unable to look at him as she does so.

"Very good. Describe for me, in detail, the effect of the Captain's Blood Power. What does Evoke entail?" Feldman continues pressing Livie for information. In response, Livie places a hand on her arm as she answers.

"It… It seems a form of Resonance, sir. It's close to the one seen with 2nd Generation God Arcs." She grows in confidence as she speaks, now looking at the Director to give him his answer.

"That is all?" Feldman seems unimpressed, however. At this, Livie looks away again.

"I'm not truly a member of Blood. I cannot learn more." Livie's words cause Director Feldman to assume a thinking position; placing a hand under his chin.

"Any rejections?"

"Nothing I can't handle, sir. However, I will likely require a stabiliser eventually." She answers honestly.

"They're useless if you've already passed the threshold. Livie… you must be careful, please." The Director expresses his concern.

"Understood."

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The rest of the day is filled with more missions, the highlight being a mission versus a Tezcatlipoca and a Magmatic Gboro-Gboro. We easily finish them off, though upon our return, we hear that a type 1 deusphage Aragami has broken into an old God Arc Storage warehouse near the base of the tree. When Livie and I arrive, we quickly destroy the Venus that invaded the warehouse. However, with all of the action that ensued today, I had lost track of time and before I knew it, I went to my room and was in the land of the unconscious.

A/N: Sorry guys, I had to get the boring missions out of the way with first and I really didn't want to write what happened in every mission. That's just how boring they were. But, you should expect a larger chapter next since it is quite an important part of the story.


	111. Chapter 111 - Suspension Bridge

Chapter 111

DISCLAIMER: I DO NOT OWN THE GOD EATER FRANCHISE HOWEVER I DO OWN MY OC.

Also, please leave a review!

Name: Cedrick Esparza  
Gender: Male  
Hairstyle: Style 7 (Dark Brown)

God Arc: Mechblade Vidofnir (Long Blade), F-SD Shot (Blast Gun), Kurogane Tower B (Tower Shield)  
Blood Art: Fatal Riser IV

The next day, when I walked into the lobby I was given some surprising news.

"Blood Captain, a new mission for you." Livie speaks up, sitting down on a couch above the operator's desk. "This long expedition to the perimeter of the Spiral Tree is the culmination of our recent work. This long expedition will be just you and me. This will increase the chance to awaken my Blood Art." Livie explains and reasons. She does have the right idea; doing a multi-part mission should increase the chances of learning a Blood Art, but just the two of us doing a number of missions? Usually I'd have no problem with that, but she still isn't 100% compatible with Julius' God Arc. We had to have Nana come and help us yesterday… "I expect us to be out for quite a while. I'll be waiting on the roof." Livie informs me before leaving the couch and heading to the lift. It seems as though the Intelligence Centre is getting tired at the slow rate of progress of Livie's Blood Art, so they've arranged a multi=part mission to speed the process up. Fran pretty much confirms this when I ask her about the mission. Apparently, it's a four part mission and the first Aragami we'll be fighting against is a Wild Blade Arc Soldier, but a Garm has also been detected in the area. I decide to check what items I have on my person and increase the number that I have before going to pick up my God Arc and meet her on the roof.

A helicopter drops us off at the Forest of the Apocalypse: Main. Immediately, we hear a roar from a Garm, but we're unable to see it from our position. We decide to lightly walk around the area to try and find the secondary target; the Garm. After a minute, we find it in one of the corners of the map. To initiate the fight, we sneak up and launch attacks on its front legs. It rears up onto its hind legs as it roars due to the pain and surprise of the attack. I take this time to launch a few Freeze bullets at its face and switch back to my Arc's Melee Form, landing another hit on its leg before being forced to retreat. I notice that Livie fires a couple of shots with Julius' God Arc; she must have always been able to do it but didn't because it isn't her style. Regardless, the Aragami finally realises that if it doesn't defend itself, it's going to die. It launches itself towards Livie who successfully deploys her shield and prevents any damage to her. However, the Garm leaps backwards before jumping towards her again, even more momentum from its movement. Livie never dropped her guard though and doesn't suffer any damage. I run towards the Garm as it recovers from its own jump and slash at its rear legs a couple of times, Livie doing the same, before being forced to back off again as a pool of fire begins forming underneath it and it prepares to launch a fire ball in my direction. It's easy to dodge; you just need to get out of its line of sight. Thus, Livie and I are able to get some more free hits in. I continue hitting its rear legs while Livie hits its front leg that has been preparing to launch the fireball at me. Surprisingly, it doesn't get the chance to launch the fireball as it slips and falls onto its side, struggling to get back to its feet.

"Now's our chance!" I shout to Livie although I'm sure she already knew. I move around to its head and start slashing at it.

"A Wild Blade Arc Soldier has heard the sound of combat and is moving into your area." Fran announces, and I click my tongue. This mission might not be as easy as I hoped it to be.

"I'll take care of the God Arc Soldier." I inform Livie but continue slashing. I can't take care of it straight away since I don't know where it will be arriving from, but it is the main objective for this mission. It only takes a few more seconds before I see the armour-turned-Aragami and leave the Garm to Livie as I run towards my target. It shouldn't take too much longer for the Garm to be defeated, so I expect Livie to be helping me soon, but that doesn't mean I should take my target lightly. It notices me as I run towards it and roars in an attempt to intimidate me. It wildly swings its Arc from above its head and it completely misses me. I use my God Arc and almost uppercut the Aragami with it, the power from it sends the Aragami staggering a few feet backwards. I don't relent as I fire a round of bullets at its body. It doesn't appear to be too damaging, so I decide to stop shooting at it and continue slashing at it, avoiding its attacks and making sure mine land. It doesn't take long before it is down for the count. Livie joins me, seemingly having finished with the Garm. It probably is a bit more difficult to fight a Garm than a Wild Blade Arc Soldier because of its moveset. I hear Livie grunt and pant lightly due to fatigue. It's clear that she's still getting used to Julius' God Arc. I can't dwell on it for long, however, as the tree begins to shake.

"Wait! That sound…" Livie comments and I try to listen to the same thing she can hear. I do hear it. "Something's coming." Looking in the same direction, we both see some sort of liquid heading straight for us. It reminds me of a pyroclastic flow due to its viscosity. Steam is rising from it as it quickly approaches us. I can feel my legs beginning to grow weak. I never expected anything like this to happen inside the Spiral Tree. I know that you should expect the unexpected, but something like this isn't even possible right? Where did all of this liquid come from, anyway? "Damn… Fall back!" Livie takes charge of the situation as we both sprint as fast as we can to try and outrun the pyroclastic liquid. Looking behind me for a second, I see that the corpse of the Wild Blade Arc Soldier is swallowed by it. I turn my attention back in front of me, and just in time too as I see Livie jump up and slash a very large, thick tree. I manage to avoid it and it lands behind me, severely slowing the fluid concealed behind it. However, we're not safe yet as cracks begin to form in the ground. A second or two after they appear, the ground starts to break up and disappear from beneath us. I take a second to glance behind me to see Livie is struggling even more than me to escape this awful environment. She has to jump onto segments of the ground as they break up in order to keep moving forward, but the land breaks faster than she can sprint and she almost falls into the ever-increasing gaping black hole beneath us. I grab hold of her hand to stop her from falling and try to pull her up, but then I feel the area under me give way too. I can't tell if my rapid breathing at this point is because of fatigue or fear of what is about to happen. I don't care though as I use my other hand to attempt to keep us up. Not even a second later, it too breaks and we fall into the pitch black crevasse. The only thing I can hear is the sound of my own heartbeat as I continue to fall into the depths with Livie's hand in my own.

I find myself waking up in a similar looking area to what we had just been in, and I begin wondering I the whole earthquake thing was just a dream since I've strangely received no injuries, and I can't see any rubble around us.

"Are you awake?" I hear Livie to my side who looks at me concerningly. That might be the first hint of emotion I've seen on her face. It may just be because I've just woken up, but seeing her face with even the slightest hint of emotion on it makes her seem quite pretty. You know… I've just realised, my type of woman must be one that isn't easily readable like Nana. Rather, it's the type that you don't know what they're thinking or feeling, and then you get a big surprise and an inner sense of joy when you see something like emotion on their face. However, for the first emotion on her face to be that of worry does make me feel a little bad. But, for her to be worrying over me does feel pretty good. Ah! So many conflicting emotions!

"I'm awake." I squeeze out my words as I sit up, my legs outstretched. Livie takes up a similar position, but her legs are closer towards her chest. Just from her positioning alone, I know that something's up. She extends her arms around her legs and pulls them closer to her. I'm not even sure it was possible for her to do that, she must be pretty flexible.

"I apologise, Captain… I held you back." She stares at her legs as she speaks, I can hear the disappointment in herself within her voice. "I'll make amends." She looks at me through the corners of her eyes, her voice bordering on one filled with sorrow and regret.

"Don't worry about it, Livie. You had no idea that would happen." None of us had any idea that would happen. There's no need for her to apologise for it. Unless she meant that she apologises that I felt the need to rescue her instead of continuing to run… I really hope she doesn't mean that. One part of me wants to ask to make sure, but another part of me doesn't want to ask. She puts a hand to her ear and I realise a moment later why. I do the same thing.

"Nothing but static on the coms… I suppose we must be pretty far down." She looks at me as she confirms the situation, there's still vague traces of worry on her face but worrying for what I'm not sure. She may think she's doing a good job at hiding her emotions, but after spending so long with Ciel, I think that once I've spotted one emotion from a stoic woman, I can spot a lot of them. She lifts her hand and stares at it. "We need to make it to the surface. My Bias Factor may run out soon."

"Then let's get a move on." I stand up with a bit of a struggle before extending my hand for Livie to take. I find it quite cute that she actually does take it. Maybe she's beginning to open up to me? We grab our God Arcs and keep moving forwards at a slowed and quiet pace. There's no telling what is waiting for us in here, so we need to be stealthy. It's a good job we've had so much practice of it during recent missions.

Eventually, we come across a large area of land as well as another enemy. It feels as though we are getting closer towards the surface, but I think we're still quite a distance away. We have to be; we must have fallen a long distance for me to be knocked out. I don't know if Livie was knocked out as well, actually how long has she been worrying about me?

"Three Vajratails and one Fallen Gboro-Gboro; Freeze type." Livie's comments on our targets take my out of my thoughts.

"Take care of the Vajratails first?" I suggest. It would be easier to kill the Gboro-Gboro without having to worry about interference from Vajratails.

"Yes." With that said, we quickly dispatch of the Vajratails before moving onto the Gboro-Gboro. Running to the Gboro-Gboro, who has somehow not heard the sounds of battle, we start working on defeating it. We manage to land a couple of hits to its dorsal fins before it roars and the actual battle begins. It quickly thrashes to the side and takes me off guard, sending me a few metres back due to the force of its hit. For some reason, I'm unable to shrug off the pain like I usually would do. It takes a second or two to realise why that is the case.

"Our defences must have been lowered due to a Bias Field!" Now that I think about it, I'm not surprised that there's a Bias Field here. It is an enigma after all; we don't know a lot about it. Grunting as I fight my way through the pain, I get back to my feet and re-join the battle, having already warned Livie about the dangers of the Bias Field. I notice that she is directly in the path of the Gboro-Gboro's ball of ice attack. She's already deployed her shield in anticipation, so I decide to go around the back of the Aragami to slash and hack at its dorsal fin. It works greatly as I manage to land some solid hits in before being forced to deploy my shield due to the whirlpool forming around my feet. Within a few more seconds, the whirlpool becomes a large torrent that encompasses me. However, I'm protected from most of the damage due to my shield. I do get slightly scraped, though it is nothing I can't handle. As soon as the torrent stops, I'm back on the attack. I continue hacking at its dorsal fin and it breaks with a few more strikes. I don't relent as it roars in pain, dealing extra damage to the beast. Livie joins me but then the Aragami rears up. Looking down at the ground, I see what it is doing. "Move!" I shout, although I'm sure Livie already noticed. We both avoid another whirlpool and I manage to land one uppercut to the beast as it charges towards me. That proves to be a mistake though, as I only just avoid becoming its next meal by deploying my shield in the nick of time.

"That was careless!" Livie shouts from behind the Aragami which is still distracted by me as it thrashes about the place in an attempt to catch me off guard again. I choose not to speak back to Livie as I know that it was, exactly as she says, careless. I keep my shield deployed though because I know Livie can take advantage of how it is prioritising me as a target. Eventually, the Gboro-Gboro realises that it isn't going to kill any of us and decides to run for its life.

"It must be close to dying." I speak up and state the obvious before deciding to switch to my Arc's Gun Form and fire multiple shots at it. It falls to the ground, but it's easy to see that it is still alive. After a couple of minutes though, it dies and we continue moving forward in an attempt to reach the surface.

We keep walking and eventually we reach familiar looking territory. However, as we approach our campsite, we hear more sounds than just our feet as they hit the ground. We come to a stop and peer around a corner to see the source of the other sounds. It's a Sekhmet. I hate Sekhmets. I can't supress the grumble that leaves my lips.

"Something wrong?" Livie asks in confusion, having heard my groan.

"I hate Sekhmets." I simply comment before walking into the battlefield. Livie follows me.

This time, instead of immediately engaging in battle I decide to set up a couple of paralysis traps. This Aragami relies on its speed and movement to win battles; we can limit this by paralysing it and then relentlessly destroying it. This means that we're going to have to stay around these traps though. The thing is, the Sekhmet has moved closer to our camp, so we need to lure it away from there and towards these traps. My God Arc isn't exactly equipped for battles against Blaze-type Aragami since it specialises in dealing Blaze and Spark Damage. If I had my other Mechblade God Arc, I wouldn't have this problem. Thus, this will be one of our hardest battles yet.

"Livie!" I shout to grab her attention, she decided to keep an eye on the Sekhmet while I set out the traps. "Can you lure it over here?" I ask her, and she runs out from her hiding spot, out of my sight. While she lures the humanoid Aragami, I switch my Arc to Gun Form and store my Oracle Points. My melee attacks will be very ineffective, so I'm forced to rely on my Arc's Gun Form this time around. I inject all five of my O-Ampules and store all of it in my God Arc. I then switch the active bullet to a Freeze type Blood Bullet for the maximum effect. A few seconds later, I hear the roar of the Sekhmet and Livie enters my line of sight, backing up into the area as she keeps an eye of the Aragami. I see her jump to the side and deploy her shield; I see why immediately after as the Sekhmet comes gliding into the area. "Nice job, Livie! Now see if you can bring it over here." I inform her as I launch a number of bullets in the direction of the Sekhmet. About 75% of them hit it and seem to do a fair amount of damage. I notice the Sekhmet hunching over and small balls of fire forming in its hands. "Oh shit." I was hoping that the Sekhmet would attempt to tackle me as I stand right behind one of the paralysis traps. However, I forgot all about its fireball attacks. If I'm the target of the fireballs, then the trap in front of me will most likely be dispelled. To avoid that possibility, I run away from the traps and deploy my shield. It turns out that I was the designated target so I'm thankful that I moved as the traps still stay active. Immediately after though, the Aragami comes charging towards me. Unfortunately, I'm not near the traps so the Sekhmet doesn't get paralysed. I keep my shield deployed as the flaming humanoid glides closer to me, the momentum forces me back multiple metres. I try to drag the Sekhmet back to the traps by moving a few metres towards them, and then deploying my shield to avoid attacks from the Aragami.

After a couple of minutes or repeating the same actions, I finally make the Sekhmet walk into the trap. It immediately takes effect and I fire all of my bullets at point blank range straight into its face. By the time the Aragami breaks free, its face has already been unbound and it looks to be on the brink of death. Thus, it tries to run away, but Livie doesn't let it. She delivers multiple blows to its wings before landing a blow on its head and causing it to drop to the floor painfully. She extracts its core and we walk back to our campsite, having successfully reached the surface.

As soon as we get back into camp, I put my God Arc on its stand and take a seat.

"I need this." I slump into the seat and relaxingly close my eyes. The three missions previous were quite challenging and I'm reasonably fatigued. When I reopen them, I see Livie injecting something into her Armlet. I assume it is the Bias Factor injections that she was talking about earlier. She then hold Julius' God Arc with an outstretched arm.

"Argh! N-Ngh…" I hear Livie's groan and stand up immediately. I know that I can't do anything to help her, all I can do is watch in concern, but I can't stand not being able to help her. Her face is scrunched up in pain. As the pain subsides, she turns towards me. "Are you all right?" Her question surprises me. She's seriously asking if I'm okay after what she's just went through.

"Are _you_ all right?"

"Yes, I'm… I'm quite well. Thank you." She stutters because of what I assume to be an unknowingness of how to respond.

"It looks terrible." I state with a grim expression. She has to do this every time she uses someone else's God Arc? How does she deal with that? She's definitely a strong woman.

"No. Not much." She tries to dismiss my worry.

"But…"

"You are full of questions." She interrupts me, and I stop talking. She might be getting annoyed. "Not that I'm angry to hear you ask. It's simply… You remind me of someone I knew a long time ago." She looks up to the ceiling as she reminisces. A couple of seconds go by and I don't dare to interrupt as she cycles through her memories. "We should probably start heading back. We can't get in contact with the Branch from here." I merely nod my head in agreement and pick up my God Arc, following her out of the campsite.

A few minutes after we started walking again, we come to a stop due to the ground shaking again. It's less impactful than last time, but it's enough to make us worry. I don't want to keep repeating a loop like this forever; fall down numerous levels and then find your way back to the surface only to fall back down multiple levels. That would be exhausting and probably would be the death of us.

"It's here." Livie readies her Arc and I follow suit. By now, we've noticed that the ground isn't shaking due to an impending earthquake, but due to a large footed creature walking on it. The Aragami must be large enough that it sends ripples through the earth as it walks. After a few seconds we come across it, or rather, it comes across us. A large, quadrupedal Aragami that appears to be a black panther with additional, large, chrome arms and claws that sprout from its back. It also appears to have armoured ridges along its spine and the chrome arms. Suddenly, and very fearfully, two very long blades erupt from the palms of its claws which the beast grinds together a couple of times, sparks flying from them, before they disappear back into its palms and it roars menacingly. "A new species… Stay sharp." Livie then assumes a more combative stance with Julius' God Arc, seemingly ready to charge in. Having already used the paralysis traps, I no longer have any traps I can use. I do still have stun grenades at my disposal, but I only have four of them and they don't stun the Aragami for very long. For this mission, it looks like I'm going to have to use Blood Rage…

Livie charges towards the new species and attempts to land a hit to one of its large claws. However, the Aragami pulls it back into the air where Livie's attack completely misses. That's not all though, a long spike protrudes from its palm and it spins in a circle, kicking up a whirlwind and hitting Livie's shield in the process. Meanwhile, I've changed my Arc to Gun Form and am firing Blaze bullets at it, but they don't seem to be very effective. Once my Oracle Points are depleted, I join Livie in melee fighting. I run to the beast and try to land a hit to its head while it looks at Livie. It jumps backwards though, and I run towards it again, only to realise that that was the wrong choice as it heads towards me at an unparalleled speed. It hits me directly and the force of the attack almost knocks me unconscious as I land sharply against a tree. If I wasn't a God Eater, that attack would have knocked me out. Heck, I am a God Eater and it _almost_ knocked me out. I swallow three Restore Pills before joining Livie in the fight again. Forcing myself to come between her and the giant Aragami as I see it leaping towards her while she is downed. I deflect the Aragami and throw down a stun grenade, checking to see if the Aragami is blinded before I assist Livie.

"A restore post!" I place right next to us which helps us both to regain energy. "I've only got one of those left so don't be reckless." I mention to her, deploying my shield at the same time as her as we both realise that the beast is running towards us with an extended blade. We take no damage from its attack and it slumps to the floor fatigued. "Get it now!" We both charge towards it and manage to land some attacks before being forced to retreat as the monster gets back up.

"All it does is attack and it doesn't have the stamina for many simultaneous attacks." Livie comments something which I had already begun to realise.

"So, stay on the defence until it gets tired, then attack?"

"That's right." Livie answers me, her shield being deployed. I keep my shield up as well as the Aragami charges towards us again. This time though, instead of tackling into us, it spins and creates a whirlwind beneath us that takes us off of our feet. "Damn. It's smart. We can't just stay defensive." Livie comments, immediately going back on the plan of action. I change my Arc to Gun Form and fire two Freeze bullets at the Aragami, again it is ineffective. I change my bullets to Spark and fire it towards the beast whose attention is focused on Livie. It coils in pain as the bullets hit its exposed claws.

"It's weak against spark!" I inform Livie, having depleted my Oracle Points for the second time in the mission, I run back to help Livie with the melee attacks. Instead of staying with me to melee attack, Livie backs off to shoot spark bullets at the Aragami. It recoils with every three or so hits with spark bullets and I'm able to land a solid hit to the same area the bullets land. After another three bullets, and another slash from me, the insides of the claws are revealed. "It's unbound!" I launch a stun grenade to the floor and slash at the claw that is on the ground, dealing what I think is a lot of damage to the beast.

Eventually, after a lot of the same actions, and even some harvesting of Aragami bullets from Cocoon Maidens that appeared from out of nowhere, the Aragami is down. Livie and I pant and try to regain the oxygen we lost to our muscles because of the fight. Suddenly, Livie groans in pain as she grips the arm that holds Julius' God Arc. The same purple spikes that appeared when she first touched it appear again and she drops to one knee in pain. Seeing the distress that she's in, the Aragami finds the energy to stand back up and give an intimidating roar before exposing a spike from the palm of its claw and trying to hit Livie with it. She only just manages to deploy the shield in time.

"We're not done yet! Let's go!" Livie shouts before charging towards the Aragami, I only just manage to turn around and see the Aragami ready to launch her across the other side of the field with just a slap. Livie jumps over the slap and lands a solid blow to the beast's arm. It would have been the head, but the beast managed to defend its head with its arm. She fires three consecutive bullets at the Aragami which leaves it defenceless. I see the opportunity and slash its neck. Strangely, but not unexpectedly, it doesn't fall after my attack. Meanwhile, Livie has been charging up her Arc for an attack that I recognise all too well. She screams as powers up her attack, or rather a Blood Art…

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Meanwhile, a God Arc-less Julius jumps away from a silver Vajra that almost crushes him with its weight as he defeats it. His hair has grown out considerably given the time that has passed since his last run in with his former Blood Unit. His uniform has become tattered and fresh blood stains the arms of it. Suddenly, a chrome Hannibal-like creature springs up from behind a ledge and rushes towards Julius with its blades outstretched. Not one to backdown from a fight, Julius runs towards it too with only his fists to defend him. However, he comes out the victor of that fight as he rips off one of the Aragami's blades, charges his Blood Power and runs towards the beast.

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Livie lands her attack along the same incision of its throat that I made seconds earlier, and this attack proves to be fatal as the Aragami falls to the ground; dead. Livie grunts after the fight as she pants and tries to regain her energy. In the meantime, I frantically search with my Blood Art to find this new Aragami species' core to extract it and make sure it won't get back up. When I eventually do, I breathe a sigh of relief before walking over to Livie who climbs back to her feet. She looks towards me sheepishly.

"Your Captain Julius… He's alive." The first words she says to me since we've defeated this beast, are positive ones. She seems so sure that he is alive that I don't really know how to respond at first. Livie turns away from me. "Somewhere inside the tree…"

"We kinda knew he was." I see Livie turn back to me as I speak up. "We didn't want to believe that we would never see each other again. Somehow, each one of us knew that he would still be alive by the time we rescue him." As I speak, I begin to feel a lump in my throat. The woman in front of me is guaranteeing that Julius, my unit's former Captain, is still alive. I may have said that we all knew he was, and while that wasn't a lie, it wasn't the whole truth either. I bet we've all had our doubts on whether he really is still alive. It's been so long since we've seen him after all. "We trust that we'll see him again." I can't help the tear that escapes from my eye as I speak. "And when we do, we'll have a lot to say to each other."

A couple of minutes after my speech, we decided that it was time to head back to the Far East Branch and inform them of what happened. Upon arrival, I reluctantly gave up the core of the Aragami that we fought. Thankfully, I still have some of its materials though. We also received words of relief at the fact that we were still alive. Many of the God Eaters knew what we were capable of and didn't doubt our survival at all, but they were still relieved to see that we returned safely. Unfortunately, it meant that somethings would happen again…

"We're glad that both you and Livie returned without any major injuries! If we hadn't heard from you by the specified time, I would have requested permission to go looking for you." An emotional Ciel grasps me tightly from my right side while Nana holds my left. An emotional smile on the latter's face that holds back many emotions while I'm pretty sure that Ciel is wearing her emotions on my sleeve; I can feel my shoulder growing wet. This alone makes my heart ache as the girl I love sobs on my shoulder as she was worried about my own safety. However, the fact that we can never be together is what pains me; she's already rejected me once. I'm too afraid to ask again.

"You should be careful out there, y'know. We don't want to lose another person." Gilbert settles with putting a hand on my head, really making it known that there is quite a large height difference between us. There's also a five-year age difference between us which is why I don't complain about my lack of height. I've still got time to grow taller, unlike Gilbert.

"So, how did the missions go?" Nana speaks from beside me, as she does I only just realise that I had wrapped an arm around both of the girls at my side, purely to comfort them. As they've both settled down, I remove my arms from them and they back away from me in response.

"It definitely seems to be working. Livie managed to use a Blood Art, but we still need to perfect it."

"Really?" Ciel speaks up and I nod back to her.

"What was it like?" Nana spoke up with equal curiosity.

"Maybe you should ask her yourself? She's probably finished reporting to Director Feldman by now." Realising that I couldn't really explain it due to the intensity of the battle, I try and subtly make it known that they should speak to Livie to learn more about it. My efforts go to waste though as they don't leave.

"C'mon, you can tell us." Nana speaks up, the same smile still on her face. Honestly though, there was another reason why I wanted Nana and Ciel to talk to Livie about it. It seems as though Livie is opening up to me, but I also want her to open up to my unit. Or our unit as it should be known, for the entire time that the Intelligence Centre is here, my Blood Unit is under the control of Livie. Shouldn't she spend time getting to know her unit? That's why I thought it would be easier if Nana and Ciel went to her instead of Livie going to them. She doesn't really seem the type to share unless being asked to… After I notice that they have no intention of doing that, I decide to change the topic slightly.

"You should ask Livie about that later. But I have some good news." With a big smile, I tell them about Livie's vision, which she explained to me on the way back to the Den. They were pleased to hear the Julius is still alive, but then they became emotional again. I'm pretty sure I even say Gilbert shed a few tears at the news, either that or he was only tilting his cap down to keep light from getting into his eyes. That's probably the excuse he'd go with. They dispersed after they had calmed down and headed their separate ways. However, I believe that each of them wanted to be alone for a while so I didn't follow them. At this point, I see Livie re-enter the lobby. Immediately after she does, she's greeted with numerous "glad to see you're okay" responses. Even Hibari, who had already told me the same thing, shouted up to Livie who was on the floor above her. Livie walked down the stairs to thank her, just as she did with the rest of the people that spoke to her.

"Everyone here worried about me far more than I would have ever expected." Livie speaks up as she approaches me.

"Of course, they were worried. While you're here, you're one of us." I inform her with a smile.

"The Intelligence Centre is used to being hated, so I'm doubly surprised." She looks down to the ground nervously. "I… don't really know how to deal with this…"

"Just relax and do what you usually do when you're not on a mission. Speaking of, I could really use some food right now. Have you tried any of Mutsumi's cooking yet?"

"Mutsumi?" She questions the name and I blink at her in surprise before taking her by the shoulder and leading her into the lounge.

"Mutsumi is the best chef in the Branch. You should make sure you get on her good side." We walk towards the girl in question and I make sure that Livie is set for life; introducing her to the best chef I know.

The rest of the day I spent by myself in my room. Looking over countless emails before deciding to see if I can improve my God Arc. I was able to create a much more powerful God Arc and shield as well, and I can't wait to try it out.

God Arc: Kurogane Blade C (Long Blade), F-BF Shot (Blast Gun), Kurogane Tower C (Tower Shield)  
Blood Art: Fatal Riser IV


	112. Chapter 112 - a Kabbala-Kabbala

Chapter 112

DISCLAIMER: I DO NOT OWN THE GOD EATER FRANCHISE HOWEVER I DO OWN MY OC.

Also, please leave a review!

Name: Cedrick Esparza  
Gender: Male  
Hairstyle: Style 7 (Dark Brown)

God Arc: Kurogane Blade C (Long Blade), F-BF Shot (Blast Gun), Kurogane Tower C (Tower Shield)  
Blood Art: Fatal Riser IV

The next day sees Livie and I paired up for another mission in an attempt to control her Blood Art. Yesterday, she was able to use the Blood Art, but as I've seen today she can't freely use it. She stands in the middle of the City of Mercy as she solo fights a Vajra while I watch from a distance; occasionally providing healing bullets that raise her attack or defence power at the same time. Every so often, I also use a stun grenade to give Livie a chance to build up her Blood Power.

"Do what you did yesterday, Livie!" We've been out here for an hour already and she's only managed to use her Blood Art twice out of around twenty attempts. About twenty minutes into the job I knew that we would be here for a while. I had taken a seat with my legs dangling over the edge as I continued to watch Livie. I'm still in the same position now, but I'm beginning to get tired of this position, so I decide to stand up while still watching Livie. The Vajra should have really died about 55 minutes ago, but we decided that it would be a great source to practice Livie's Blood Art on. It may sound inhumane, but these creatures are our enemies and they do inhumane stuff anyway. It's not as though one of these Aragami will suddenly speak up and say that we're being inhumane. The day that happens is probably the day that Aragami take over the earth without a need for a Devouring Apocalypse.

"That's what I've been doing!" Livie shouts back at me, continuously posing just as Julius did before he activated his Blood Art before hitting the Vajra which still hasn't given up on life. All of its bonds have been broken, and it moves at a very slow pace. Yet, it still tries to fight Livie.

A few more minutes go by before I sigh heavily.

"This is just getting cruel now." It is inhumane of us to be torturing the Vajra like this, and even though it would be great to continue practicing on it, Livie doesn't seem to be getting any better with her Blood Art. "Just finish it off, Livie!" She does exactly as I say. With one large slash across the beast's face, as it drags itself along the floor to try and reach Livie again, the life escapes from it. I almost feel sorry for the Aragami; it just didn't know when to give up. Maybe it's because I can kind of relate to it which makes me almost feel sorry or it. After all, I don't exactly know when to give up either. Or rather, my heart doesn't know when to give up. When I confessed to Ciel, she ran away from me; I only realised a little while later that she rejected me when I saw Kanon with the necklace I gave Ciel in her hands. Despite it being so long ago though, my heart hasn't been able to forget her.

"Are you okay?" Livie suddenly speaks up from beside me. I must have been so deep into my thoughts that I never realised she had joined me up here. She sits down beside me, making it obvious that we don't plan on moving any time soon. I sit back down as well.

"I'm fine. Just lost in thought about how we're going to perfect your Blood Art." She doesn't respond to me, but I never expected her to. She may be starting to open up to me; starting to talk to me more often, but she's still the quiet, emotionless type. I'm thankful that she was able to take me out of my thoughts. Ever since Livie has joined Blood, I've realised just how often I've been thinking about Ciel and my love life. I really need to get over Ciel, but it's a lot more difficult than simply stating that. I look to Livie by my side and see her staring out towards the corpse of the Vajra. I lied to Livie so that she wouldn't worry about me, but why do I care what she thinks of me?

"Think of anything yet?" She turns back towards me, not giving me a lot of time to think about it. Even though I haven't really been thinking about it. Everyone is relying on me to teach Livie her Blood Art, and it's only now that I realise how much pressure really is on me. For the past few days we've been working on her Blood Art, I never really noticed that I'm really under pressure to make sure she learns it quickly. We don't have a lot of time, after all. Lindow sent me an email yesterday which stated that there is a lot of pressure on me, but I never really thought anything of it. We don't have the luxury of spending hours upon hours to try and hone Livie's Blood Art. If we compare Livie's learning of a Blood Art to others, it is lasting quite a while. With the Defence Unit, I was able to teach them quickly, but they opened up to me quickly. Their personalities are drastically different to Livie's. The only one who comes close personality-wise is Ciel, and it took a while for her to master her Blood Art too. She only learned her Blood Art because I risked my life to save her. She told me that while I was in confined solitary for disobeying Director Grem's orders and saving Ciel; the only time someone had ever done something like that for her.

"Are you sure you're okay?" Livie takes me out of my thoughts again and I realise that I had gripped my chest tightly. I also realise why I unconsciously did that; my heart aches as though a knife has went through it.

"I'm-"

"Blood Captain Esparza," I go to answer Livie but I hear Fran speak my name through the earpiece. My hand moving from my chest and held against the earpiece to signal to Livie that someone's getting in contact with me. "A Kabbala-Kabbala has been spotted in your area. We request you eliminate it immediately." I smile as I realise what this means.

"What was that about?" Livie asks curiously and I turn towards her.

"I've found the best way to train your Blood Art." My smile doesn't leave my face as I stand up and extend a hand towards her. She takes my hand and stands up as well. "A Kabbala-Kabbala will be entering the area."

"A Kabbala-Kabbala?" She repeats, not knowing of what Aragami it is. I'm not surprised though, my Blood Unit were the only people that could defeat psions until recently.

"A psion. Aragami that the Blood Unit specialises in defeating." I still smile. This will be a great opportunity for Livie to improve her Blood Art capabilities. Of course, I'll need to help her to defeat it.

"Interesting…" Livie put a hand to her chin as she wonders to herself.

"Psions can only be defeated by those with Blood Arts or Blood Bullets." I inform her, and it seems that she realises what I'm planning. "Thus, this Gboro-Gboro type psion should really improve your Blood Art."

"I see. Well then, let's go." She jumps off of the ledge and I follow her.

It doesn't take long for the Kabbala-Kabbala to show up, and I can't help myself but stare at Livie's face as soon as she sees the Aragami's appearance. Unlike many others before her, but very much like her, she doesn't even express the slightest hint of laughter at it. I'm not sure why I thought that she might laugh because of it.

"This psion uses Spark attacks. So, don't fire any spark bullets at it." I inform her of the Aragami's attribute. She switches Julius' God Arc to Gun Form where I'd imagine that she's switching the bullets around. "It's weak to everything else. Aim for its nose, that's the weakest point." I tell her everything about the psion before we engage in battle. My God Arc's Melee Form doesn't specialise in any attribute which means it won't be ineffective against the Kabbala-Kabbala and it won't be super effective either. Livie nods to me, telling her that she's ready and we both fire our bullets towards the psion. They connect with its dorsal fin and deal a fair bit of damage. As the beast roars in confusion and pain, Livie and I charge towards it.

Within a few minutes, the Kabbala-Kabbala falls to the ground, but that isn't the highlight of the battle. As I expected, Livie was able to use her Blood Art a lot more times against the psion.

"We're making progress, Livie." I tell her what she must already know with a determined smile on my face. "I'd imagine that one more fight against a psion will help you to have complete control over your Blood Art."

"Thank you." I choose not to reply to Livie's politeness as I get back in contact with Fran,

"Hey, Fran."

"Good work on defeating the psion." Fran congratulates us.

"Thanks. I think that one more psion would help Livie to have complete control over her Blood Art. Is there any more fights against psions available?"

"I can't see any missions for psions, but how would you like a mission against a Demiurge and A Borg Camlann." At Fran's information, I give a disappointed sigh. However, a mission against two large Aragami like those could also help to awaken Livie's Blood Art.

"Yeah, we'll go for it." The disappointment must have been obvious in my voice as I notice Livie's shoulders slump. It's quite refreshing to see that she's excited for a battle, but quite sad to see her also being disappointed in the lack of psions to fight. The one time we want to fight them and they don't show up! They have terrible timing!

"Okay, they're positioned in the Valley of the Blue Ice. We'll send a helicopter to pick you up." With that said, the communication lines are cut off and I turn to Livie.

"It looks like there aren't any more psions around, but we've been given a mission to take care of a Demiurge and a Borg Camlann."

"All right." She says simply and our wait for the helicopter begins.


	113. Chapter 113 - Blood Art Awakened

Chapter 113

DISCLAIMER: I DO NOT OWN THE GOD EATER FRANCHISE HOWEVER I DO OWN MY OC.

Also, please leave a review!

Name: Cedrick Esparza  
Gender: Male  
Hairstyle: Style 7 (Dark Brown)

God Arc: Kurogane Blade C (Long Blade), F-BF Shot (Blast Gun), Kurogane Tower C (Tower Shield)  
Blood Art: Fatal Riser IV

A/N: I have created a poll for this story which will ultimately determine who Cedrick will be paired with. This Fanfic has gotten to the point where Cedrick could end up with either Livie, Ciel or Nana. It's up to you which woman he ends up with. The woman with the most votes will be Cedrick's romantic interest at some point in the story.

We reach the Valley of the Blue Ice fairly quickly and immediately see our targets in the area.

"We should defeat them one at a time." I hypothesise although I doubt that Livie thought any different. "It'll be easier to kill the Borg Camlann." Without any further words, we run towards the scorpion-like Aragami. Even though both Aragami are armoured, we can deal more damage to the Borg Camlann than we could against the Demiurge. The latter Aragami is armoured to the bone; the only places you can damage it are its arms and legs when its muscles are exposed, thus readying an attack, as well as its face and you can't reach that very often. As the Borg Camlann enters striking distance, we do just that and strike it.I deliver multiple blows to its tail during its confusion while Livie relentlessly hacks at the legs. I deploy my shield as the Borg Camlann, getting over its confusion, attempts to sweep us off of our feet by swinging its tail around. We're pushed away from it and the Borg Camlann uses this opportunity to charge towards Livie, its shield covering its face and its tail aimed towards her. She keeps her shield deployed and evades being injured while I run to the beast and continue my onslaught on its tail as soon as it resumes its natural position. Again, we're forced to act as it swings its tail again. Instead of deploying my shield, I jump over it and hack at the beast's legs along with Livie until its tail stops. Then I switch my target to it.

"Demiurge sighted!" Livie shouts and I deploy my shield to prevent any injuries from attacks from the Borg Camlann while I turn around and try to find the Demiurge. She was right, the Demiurge had long since spotted us and was even preparing a typical body slam attack performed by using an arm to propel it forwards.

"Move!" Is the only word I say as I jump to the side and only just avoid being crushed by the heavier Aragami. It's too late now to try and keep the Aragami separated. This just makes this whole mission a lot more complicated; we now have to solo fight these Aragami within close proximity of each other, meaning that it's more likely that we'll be hit by the Aragami who's not our target's attacks. "Think you can handle the Demiurge?" I ask Livie.

"No problem." She heads off to immediately engage the Demiurge in battle who gives a roar while she runs towards it. Similarly, the Borg Camlann roars at her. I quickly take its attention off of her by slashing it directly across its legs which makes the Aragami collapse and struggle to get back to its feet. I take advantage of the opportunity to completely destroy its tail bond, leaving it less likely to use the tip of its tail to attack lest it risk being even more severely damaged. "Arm inbound!" I deploy my shield and look towards the Demiurge. I block with plenty of time as its arm only just comes crashing down. My shield absorbs any damage it may have caused, and I bring my attention back to the Borg Camlann who has since gotten back up.

"Rockets incoming!" I warn Livie as numerous rockets shoot from the Borg Camlann's back and in her direction. She blocks them with her shield while I slash and hack at the Borg Camlann, occasionally using my Arc to devour bullets harvested from the Borg Camlann and firing them straight at it. They're pretty effective, and in no time at all, the Borg Camlann takes its final breath. I use my Arc to devour its core and material before turning my attention back to Livie and the Demiurge; the real reason why I accepted this mission. I fire a healing bullet to Livie that also gives an increase in attack power as I see her going on the offensive. I choose to provide her with backup as she continues to attack. I watch closely as she attacks the beast and observe all her movements. That's when I notice something. "Livie," I get her attention, speaking through her earpiece rather than shouting and distracting her. "I've just now realised why you don't seem to be improving in learning a Blood Art."

"Oh, why's that?" She replies with a question while defending herself from the Demiurge's long range orb attack.

"You don't value the God Arc that you use." I inform her and kick myself for never realising it earlier. She's most likely had to get used to numerous God Arcs which is why she doesn't value them anymore. "You see them as merely a weapon."

"That's what they are." She replies as she goes on the attack. I merely sigh at her stubbornness.

"If Licca or Gilbert heard you say that you'd be getting a stern talking to."

"Do they care for God Arcs?" She asks curiously.

"They're always maintaining or improving our God Arcs. We have them to thank for many of our upgrades. For instance," I pause as I turn my God Arc so that I can see the screen that was positioned onto it. I look at the gauge on it and see that there are four full bars. I click the button on my Arc and select the pledge "perform one devour". Then I click the button again and the screen begins counting down from three. I run over to the Demiurge and immediately engage in all-out-combat, disregarding my stamina as I know I won't need it soon. Once I'm sure I've reached the damage quota, I perform a quick devour. That's when I feel a familiar movement in my spine. Almost as though my bones are protruding from my back, I feel the golden wheel appear. I look to Livie as Blood Rage activates and see her staring curiously. "This is Blood Rage!" I announce with a roar before charging at the beast and, despite it being heavily armoured, deal the same amount of damage that I have been dealing the Borg Camlann. Of course, if the Demiurge's muscles were revealed, my attack power would be greater on those areas. For now though, I don't want the Demiurge to die so we can continue using it to hone Livie's Blood Art.

Thirty seconds later, Blood Rage has finished and I stand back, admiring my work while panting like crazy as my hands rest on my knees and keep me upright. Before I activated Blood Rage, the Demiurge looked like it hadn't been challenged. Now though, it looks a lot worse for wear but still looks to have a lot of life left in it.

"Blood Rage is only possible due to the efforts of Licca and Gilbert." I inform her. "And they say it's only because I care for my God Arc that I was able to reach these heights." I suddenly get a bit nervous. "Well, that and my Blood Power."

"Can all of Blood do that?" She asks me in a tone that sounds slightly disappointed as well as jealous, attacking the downed Demiurge relentlessly, still communication through our headsets.

"Just me. Anyway, we're starting to get off topic. The point is, our God Arcs are only capable of becoming more powerful if we care for them." I'm sure of it now. This is the reason that Livie hasn't mastered her Blood Art. Of course, she would only see God Arcs as weapons and nothing more. "Remember how it felt to use your own God Arc? It's special to you, isn't it? If you could, you would much rather use that God Arc than someone else's, right? That God Arc has been with you through thick and thin, don't you think it deserves to be treated better than simply a weapon." Livie stays silent as I explain to her. "Treat Julius' God Arc as if it was yours. Care for it better." I understand that it's not easy to suddenly start caring about something, but she needs to start if she wants to master her Blood Art. One thing that everyone who has already learned a Blood Art has in common is that they all care for their God Arc. They see it as more than just a weapon. If Livie can understand that, she'll be able to learn a Blood Art too. After all, "A talent that can shift the very tide of battle in your favour. Blood Arts are innate skills, forged of the fire in your veins." I repeat the same words of my former captain with a reminiscing smile on my face. Livie still stays silent as she keeps attacking the tiring Demiurge. I opt to stay quiet and keep watching her. The moment I vow to do so, I don't regret it.

"Hya!" Livie shouts as she manages to execute her Blood Art for the first time in this mission.

"Good job! Do it again!" I know that I'm asking a lot of her here, but maybe it was a sign that she has been paying attention to my words, or rather Julius' words. Livie assumes a familiar pose before delivering another slash; executing her Blood Art for the first consecutive time. "Again!" I watch in excitement as she takes up the stance again, delivering another slash to the downed but not defeated Aragami. "Keep going!" She does it five more times and each time manages to use her Blood Art. "You're doing a great job, Livie!" Another five slashes and uses of her Blood Art later, she manages to defeat the Demiurge. I run up to her immediately as she finishes it off. "That's it, Livie! You've mastered your Blood Art!" I can hear the excitement in my voice, but it seems as though I am more excited than she is.

"I have?" She looks at the God Arc she wields a sense of amazement and wonder on her face.

"Yep! Mission complete!" I congratulate her on a job well done and she looks at me. I swear I see the corners of her mouth twitch upward. It's not quite a smile, but I can tell she is happy. I doubt she can just suddenly smile after being stoic for so long. The muscles in her face would probably hurt if she attempted to smile.

With the mission completed, we head back to the Den where Livie informs Director Feldman of the new developments. It's not too long after that when Director Feldman calls me and a few others up to the meeting room.

"So, you've all come. Excellent." Director Feldman begins as Kota, Soma, Livie, Ciel and I stand in front of him and wait for him to continue. "In that case, let us waste no more time. First, Corporal Livie has earned Blood Arts. She now fights with the powers unique to Julius' Arc." While Livie was talking to Director Feldman, I had updated my Blood Unit about the progress Livie has made with her Blood Art, so Director Feldman mentioning it doesn't surprise Ciel. Strangely, it doesn't surprise Kota or Soma either. I guess they kinda expected that she'd learn it sometime soon. "Second, we are at last prepared to begin Operation: Gateway and secure an entrance into the Spiral Tree." That comes as a surprise. We'll finally be able to enter the Spiral Tree? It's not much longer before we can rescue Julius then! "The plan is simple. No frills are needed. We enter the tree, locate the cause of the disaster, and eradicate said cause. Now then, to the briefing." Feldman continues. "Our entry point is here. Inside the abandoned God Arc Soldier factory near the tree's base." He points to a diagram that appears on the screen behind him. "Livie will carve a path into the tree. It should not resist Julius' Arc. Intelligence officers will then pilot an array of God Arc Soldiers inside. They will set up a series of control devices along our route." Two more diagrams appear as Feldman speaks that show a God Arc Soldier carrying a control device as well as the area in which Livie will create an opening in the tree. "Blood will serve as our rear guard. Remaining inside the factory and ensuing no Aragami enter the tree."

"Director Feldman," Ciel decides to speak up. "The Blood Unit would be best put to use in the scouting teams. We humbly request that duty." I have to agree with Ciel here. After all, we're the ones that know Julius the best, if we happen to come across him while inside the tree then we're the ones that he'll most likely want to see rescue him. Director Feldman chooses not to respond and leaves a suspenseful silence in the air.

"Thank you but leave that to the experts. We cannot allow your personal ties to come before our mission objectives." He refuses Ciel's request to my and her dismay. "Moving on… Our scientists have only been able to study the tree's surface. The interior should be far more unstable. As before, we will rely on the control devices to move forward. They should be able to shore up the route and allow us safe travel through the Spiral Tree. We will monitor them simultaneously from here. Friar," Feldman suddenly shouts, making us aware that the staff on Friar are listening to the briefing as well. "Director Feldman here. Dr. Leah, do you read me?"

"Yes, Director Feldman." Doctor Leah responds in a business tone.

"You have the command, Doctor. The God Arc Soldiers will heed your orders. Your task is to ensure that our path is stabilised and secure." Feldman explains Friar's role in the operation.

"Yes, Director. Understood."

"This will conclude the mission briefing. Thank you for your help, Dr. Leah. We are now severing the connection." Feldman announces that the briefing is over, and we leave the meeting room.

"Acknowledged. Thank you." I hear Doctor Leah speak through the communication lines before it is cut off. For the rest of the day, I decide to eat good food and relax for the next day, because it's definitely going to get a lot busier around here in the upcoming days.

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Meanwhile, on Friar…

"Doctor Kujo," Doctor Leah speaks up to get his attention as they both stand in front of the computing equipment, continuing their shared work. "The official request will come down tomorrow, but I was hoping you'd pilot one of the God Arc Soldiers at the Spiral Tree."

"I…I… Of course, Dr. Leah." Kujo responds nervously.

"They've really sped up the program since I left. Most plots haven't even finished basic training. Thank you for all your help, Doctor. I appreciate it." Leah expresses her gratitude to Kujo.

"M-My pleasure, Dr Leah. I'm… I'm proud to help." Kujo responds earnestly yet nervously.

"Well, I'm glad to hear it. I've still got some work to do one the God Arc Soldiers, so I'll be up for a while. What about you?"

"I'll stay here…" Kujo responds. "I… I have to optimise the control devices for tomorrow. Have a good night."

"All right. I'll see you later. Just be sure not to push yourself too hard, okay?" Leah gives him her salutations before leaving the laboratory. Kujo stares at her while she leaves before returning to his own work.

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	114. Chapter 114 - Operation: Gateway

Chapter 114

DISCLAIMER: I DO NOT OWN THE GOD EATER FRANCHISE HOWEVER I DO OWN MY OC.

Also, please leave a review!

Name: Cedrick Esparza  
Gender: Male  
Hairstyle: Style 7 (Dark Brown)

God Arc: Kurogane Blade C (Long Blade), F-BF Shot (Blast Gun), Kurogane Tower C (Tower Shield)  
Blood Art: Fatal Riser IV

A/N: I received a few messages and reviews which held people's votes for the poll and there is a clear winner; Ciel. It's probably the best option, in my opinion, because I have no idea about how I would shift Cedrick's mind frame to Livie or Nana. So, this will definitely be a Cedrick x Ciel fanfic.

It took a full day for the Intelligence Centre to prepare for the operation. During which, Livie and I undertook a number of missions against rare Aragami such as the Tezcatlipoca and the Tsukuyomi. Now though, it's time for Operation: Gateway to commence. Ciel and I are only just returning after a lengthy escourting mission which entailed the accompanying of the God Arc Soldier that Dr. Kujo is operating. Meanwhile, Nana and Gilbert stand by the side of a God Arc Soldier that carries a control device. We're all on an elevated platform that will extend the moment that the Spiral Tree is opened up by Livie. Speaking of whom, she stands in position as she awaits the call from Director Feldman to put all of her hard work in gaining a Blood Art to the test by creating an opening in the Spiral Tree. From behind us, Dr. Kujo's God Arc Soldier comes to a stop behind us.

"Operation: Gateway will commence in under one minute. God Arc Soldier Alpha, report in." Director Feldman speaks up from the comfort of the meeting room.

"God Arc Soldier Alpha, all green." The pilot of the God Arc Soldier that Gilbert and Nana accompanied speaks up.

"Soldier Beta?" Director Feldman speaks to elicit a response from Dr. Kujo.

"Y-Yes!" He still sounds as nervous as ever. "This is God Arc Soldier Beta… I'm good. I mean, green, lots of green." His nervousness is almost comedic.

"Very good." Director Feldman quickly dismisses Dr. Kujo's nervousness. "Corporal Livie,, are you prepared?" He asks the girl that stands slightly further ahead of us, Julius' God Arc in hand.

"Livie here. I'm ready on your command." There is a lot of confidence in her voice.

"Weapons free. You may begin." Feldman gives the signal to commence whenever she is prepared. Livie breathes deeply before she angles her God Arc and builds up the Blood Art, just like she has done in our previous missions. Exactly as anticipated, her Blood Art builds up without a problem and when it's reached maximum power,

"Ahhhhhh. Yah!" She slashes the tree where it makes a very visible incision. It glows white for a second before the all-too-familiar purple mist begins flowing from it. Livie covers her face with an arm.

"Confirmed! The Spiral Tree has been severed! Moving to phase two." Hibari speaks up through the comms. At which point, the large claws strapped to the side of the tree lower and pierce into the incision. The purple mist still leaks and Livie still blocks her face from it. The claws get uncomfortably close to Livie as they pierce into the incision.

"We are locked!" Hibari informs us of what is going on again while Livie backs away slightly. The claws then pull with seeming ease and successfully create a large opening in the Spiral Tree.

"All units prepare for the activation of the control device." Fran speaks up this time as they work alongside Director Feldman to make sure that the operation is a success. As she says that, the platform that my unit were once standing on extends into the Spiral Tree's opening.

"Corporal Livie reporting in." As soon as the platform comes to a stop, Livie speaks up. "Our primary objective has been achieved. The operation… was a success." As soon as she confirms it, I can't help but smile as the purple mist completely dissipates and the inside of the Spiral Tree becomes visible. We're now another step closer to rescuing Julius. And we will rescue him!

"Do you really think Captain Julius is in there?" Nana speaks up with hope in her voice as she stares into the abyssal entrance of the Spiral Tree. It appears to go on forever.

"Of course, he is! It's just a matter of time before we get him out of there too!" I share my delight with Nana who merely smiles back in response. Whether she believes me or not is something I don't know, but it appears to bring her some comfort. One of the God Arc Soldiers begins walking down the platform towards the Spiral Tree.

"Fine, I guess we'll let the God Arc Soldiers lead the way." Gilbert brings our attention back to the operation with a stern voice that shows he isn't happy that we aren't the ones heading into the Spiral Tree first. He leads the way for our unit as the rest of us walk in a formation of sorts behind him. Nana and I directly behind him while Ciel stands slightly behind me and to my side.

"The opening into the Spiral Tree is still stable." Fran communicates mainly to Director Feldman.

"Soldier Alpha, prepare to initialise the device. All other units form a distant perimeter. We cannot allow any Aragami to approach." He responds.

"Aye sir." The pilot of the God Arc Soldier leading the way responds, walking quite the distance into the tree before deploying the device into the tree, or at least, that's what I assume since my unit and I are still with Dr. Kujo's God Arc Soldier.

"Blood Unit, God Arc Soldier Beta, hold the line at the factory. The entrance is yours to guard. Keep it secure from all threats."

"Blood here, we copy." Gilbert sounds less than pleased as he responds to Feldman.

"Director, God Arc Soldier Beta's vitals are fluctuating." Fran speaks up concerningly and I look back to the God Arc Soldier that Dr. Kujo pilots.

"Soldier Beta, what's wrong?" The Director speaks up but receives no response. I walk closer towards the God Arc Soldier as I try to dictate if something is wrong. "Doctor Kujo… Kujo , report!" As I approach him, I can hear his heavy breathing through the metal. "Kujo, can you hear us?" I go to speak up but suddenly hear him release a blood curdling scream. He charges straight past me, down the platform and into the Spiral Tree.

"God Arc Soldier Beta has entered the Spiral Tree!" Hibari confirms the situation for the Director.

"Fall back! Get him out of there, now! Stop him!" Feldman commands and I run to try towards him, charging into the Spiral Tree. I only just manage to see Kujo as he slams the control device into the ground. However, that's when it starts to glow red and beep as if it was about to self-destruct. Weird, black appendages spring out of it before piercing the Spiral Tree as a black mist emerges from the device.

"God Arc Soldier Beta is past the safe area. Beacon response has disappeared." The control device provided Kujo with the distraction he needed for his escape into the Spiral Tree but I don't understand. He knows that he could die, right? I'm at the border of the safe area, so I should be fine. I hope.

"Initiating defragmentation… commencing." An all-too-familiar, sweet voice can be heard through the comms. It takes a few seconds to realise who that voice belongs to, but as soon as I realise, I run back to my unit.

"She's inside the system!" Hibari's realised it as well. That voice belongs to Doctor Rachel.

"Shut it down!" Feldman commands in an angered and panicked voice.

"Sir, we're getting no response to the command!" Fran informs him, doing a better job to remain calm.

"Dammit! Sever the cables if you must!"

"Cables purging!" The worry is becoming clearer in Hibari's voice.

"It's no good! It won't stop!" Fran is becoming worried now as well. Meanwhile, my Unit, Livie and I listen intently and hope that they can solve this problem. "Contamination has spread to the opening." Fran informs us and we turn towards the opening to the Spiral Tree and see exactly what she means.

"No, no, no…! It won't shut down! The tree's exterior is being poisoned as well!" Hibari seems to have accepted that we've lost this fight.

"My god… How did this happen?" Director Feldman also appears to have already accepted this as a loss.

"A massive Bias Field disruption is coming through. It's… An Aragami!" Fran speaks up in complete surprise.

"Soldier Alpha! Get out of there!" Feldman shouts to the Fenrir Officer piloting the Soldier.

"Say again, sir. There's too much interference." He doesn't hear him though and turns around at the sound of a quadrupedal animal charging at him. Almost instantly, the Aragami picks him up with its massive claws and drags him across the ground while he screams. Immediately after, a large spike extends from the palm of its claw and into the God Arc Soldier, killing the pilot. The Aragami throws the body away as it stops right in front of us. We now know what type of Aragami we are dealing with. It looks a lot like the Chrome Gawain that Livie and I fought against a few days ago, but this one has a different face and colouration. It's almost like it's wearing a golden skull mask.

"Someone take that monster down, now! Blood, this one's yours! Engage!" At Feldman's command, Livie, Gilbert, Nana, Ciel and I charge towards the monster.

"On it!" Gilbert replies.

"Let's go!" Nana gives an enthusiastic response.

"Yes, sir!" Ciel voices her agreement as well. Livie and I, on the other hand, remain silent; three of us have already confirmed that we're on the case. There's no need to continue informing them of this with Livie's and my responses…

The beast charges towards us and leaps, hoping to land on us. We easily avoid it though and manage to get a few hits on it as it jumps backwards. It sweeps at us with its right arm and we all manage to defend ourselves from it. However, the momentum from its attack carries over to us and splits us up. It charges towards Gilbert with its right arm outstretched and a spike revealed and attempts to sweep at him. He keeps his shield deployed and avoids injury though. It repeats the same attack twice more in which we manage to land a few more hits in before it changes its tactics. It stops in the middle of all of us and brings an arm backwards.

"Whirlwind! Shields up!" We were all close enough to be hit by it, and Nana, who couldn't react in time, was it by hit. She immediately fell due to the strength of the Aragami as well as the strength of the attack.

"Nana is down!" Hibari speaks up. "Requesting backup!" Being the closest one to her, Livie runs by her side and nurses her back to health. However, the Aragami notices that they're the easy targets and attempts to attack them while they're not focused on it. I throw down a stun grenade though which temporarily blinds the Aragami. This gives Nana enough time to recover while the Ciel, Gilbert and I deliver a few crucial blows to its right arm. We've determined this to be the main target since it appears to be the way the Aragami attacks most often. Once it has recovered from the stun, it attempts to use that whirlwind attack again. I deploy my shield with plenty of time to spare and avoid being injured. However,

"Ciel!" I shout as I see her spin through the air and land about 20 metres away from me and 30 metres away from the Aragami. She doesn't get back up. "Cover me!" I shout to Gilbert who, along with Livie and Nana, go on the attack, throwing a stun grenade before deploying a paralysis trap right in front of it and allowing for a lot of time and damage. Meanwhile, I manage to get by Ciel's side. "What were you thinking?!" I place a hand on her back, giving her Link Aid, and force her to eat a few Restore Pills to replenish her energy. I hadn't been more scared in my life at seeing Ciel fly through the air in an unconscious state. My heart aches as the image of it replays in my head. The girl who I confessed to, and the girl who rejected me, could very well have died just seconds ago.

"I'm sorry. It seems I miscalculated the enemy's power." Ciel speaks up as she becomes conscious. I have no idea whether she heard me or not but that's not really the issue. I change my Arc to Gun Form and fire at the Aragami a few times until Ciel manages to climb to her feet and continue fighting.

"You good to go?" I ask her, just to confirm that she can still fight.

"I am." I swallow a couple of Restore Pills myself as Link Aid takes up quite a bit of my energy too before switching my God Arc back to Melee Form and helping Nana, Gilbert and Livie to defeat the monster.

We eventually manage to defeat the monster with very few injuries. Livie extracts its core before we're ordered to return to the Far East by a deflated Director Feldman. Ciel decided to speak up about searching for Dr. Kujo but since his signal has been lost, it would be wise not to search for him unless we have a death wish.

0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0

Meanwhile, Doctor Kujo sprints through numerous unexplored areas of the Spiral Tree, laughing manically all the way.

"I did it! I did it! Hahaha! All for you, Dr. Rachel! All for you!"

In the past, not long after Dr. Rachel disappeared, Kujo sleeps on his desk as he sits in a chair. Numerous bags of rubbish scattered all around him. His computer still switched on with his screensaver being the person that he admires the most; Dr. Rachel. At the sound of an alarm, Kujo wakes from his sleep as he notices he has been sent an email. He eagerly accesses it as soon as he realises who it is from.

"Video mail accessed." Doctor Rachel's automated voice can be heard.

"Hello, Dr. Kujo. If you see this, my mission has failed. My dream of a new world, unfettered by chains of corruption and human weakness." She speaks up.

"Rachel… I can't believe it…" Kujo unbelievingly replies to the video message with his own words.

"I will not be your forgiveness, for I have never earned it. I treated you so poorly, my sweet Kujo." She continues. "I know you wanted us to be closer. I… I too wanted us to know one another, in a beautiful promised land, a world after my apocalypse. It could have been so wonderful. I know… I know I should have told you the truth long ago, but… I was afraid you would refuse. That you would reject me for my weakness. I'm sorry. Had I but trusted you, we could have been happy." A truly apologetic Rachel confesses.

"I would have done anything for you, my darling Rachel. Given anything just to see you smile."

"You're so warm, Souhei, so kind. And I was wicked, cruel, undeserving. If you can find it in your heart… I have… one last thing to ask of you. Will you hear my final request?"

"You need me, my love, you need me. I've never longed for anything else." Kujo continues running while lost in thought about his beloved. Eventually, the love of his life appears before him. "Rachel…" She extends her arms out towards him in an inviting gesture. "I swear…" He jumps out of the God Arc Soldier and staggers towards the girl of his dreams. "My… Ah… You are here! As you promised! I knew you would be…" He collapses in front of her, taking her hands in his. "My Rachel… Thank goodness."

"Thank you, sweet Kujo. Thank you. Without you, none of this would have been possible." Rachel replies with sincere gratitude in her voice. "I had dreamed you would come for me. It seems that kind fate is not yet finished with us. We are to be entwined, Souhei, one way or another." She places her hands on his face as Kujo looks on in surprise and anticipation. "Walk with me, Souhei, evermore. Walk beside me." She wraps an arm around his shoulders and pulls him closer to her. So close that she speaks directly in his ear. "Within me…" Without any warning, Kujo dissipates into numerous black butterflies, disappearing forever. Doctor Rachel stands as soon as he disappears. "At last… now it can begin." She also disappears, her body becoming black butterflies as they fly towards the light.

0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0

Rachel reappears in an almost desolate wasteland. The only other thing around is a large concocted structure with a large orb in the middle of it that she begins walking towards. As she walks, the are around her feet fades into black before it regains its usual colour. She climbs up to the orb and places a hand on it.

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Having defeated another Aragami without a God Arc, Julius is starting to feel the effects of his exhaustion. He grips his severely battered arms in pain.

"Why do you continue to fight me, my angel?"

"Rachel!" Julius shouts with numerous emotions as she appears before him.

"Let me show you my hope. I can promise a brighter future, all at your hands. You will burn this world clean." Julius gasps as he hears his name being repeated multiple times by multiple voices all around him. The sources of the voice soon move closer to him which reveals numerous distorted humanoids with red eyes.

"Julius!"

"Julius!"

"Julius!"

"Julius!"

"Julius!"

"Julius!"

"Julius!"

"Julius!"

"Arrrghhhhhh!" Julius roars as his mental health is attacked.

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"Oh, you always were so headstrong." Rachel coos as both her hands now rest on the orb that withholds Julius' transforming body. "But I forgive you. I will never surrender, not until you come to understand me. And you will understand me…"


	115. Chapter 115 - Story Mission 137

Chapter 115

DISCLAIMER: I DO NOT OWN THE GOD EATER FRANCHISE HOWEVER I DO OWN MY OC.

Also, please leave a review!

Name: Cedrick Esparza  
Gender: Male  
Hairstyle: Style 7 (Dark Brown)

God Arc: Kurogane Blade C (Long Blade), F-BF Shot (Blast Gun), Kurogane Tower C (Tower Shield)  
Blood Art: Fatal Riser IV

A/N: Sorry guys, this is a shorter chapter but don't worry, the next one is a much longer one considering the mission that it is.

The next day, I had received the news, via email, that Friar had been swallowed up inside of the Spiral Tree due to its rapidly increasing expansion. However, all of the personnel aboard Friar were able to escape; there were no reported deaths or reports of missing people. It has been deemed impossible to attempt to redeem Friar from the Spiral Tree's clutches. It is pretty sad that the place where I learned to become a God Eater has now vanished into the Spiral Tree, most likely never to be seen again. Wait, doesn't that mean that Romeo's grave also disappeared into the Spiral Tree?

"Oh, man." I let loose a quiet wail at not being able to see Romeo's grave again. I haven't really visited it often; it's a sad place to be and I've had to work a lot lately. I continue looking at my emails from the comfort of my own room.

 _Subject: (CC: All) Defence OP (Kota)_

 _Directive from 1_ _st_ _Unit Captain Kota Fukiji:  
We are facing an Aragami horde attack on the Far East Branch of a scale never seen before. Each unit, prepare for the unexpected, assemble extra equipment as needed, and be ready to improvise as needed on the battlefield._

Kota's email alerts me to the rise of a new threat; the Arc Abberants – Aragami that have fused with God Arcs and have started to appear from the Spiral Tree ever since yesterday's mission. Arc Abberants have a sort of armour on their head that resembles a mask. For now, it is unclear how or why God Arc parts are fused to their bodies, but it helps them to perform special attacks. They're even more dangerous that regular Aragami and being surrounded by numerous of them will most likely result in death. Thus, it's better to go out in teams to exterminate them. I continue reading the emails.

 _Subject: (CC: All) Defence OP (Tatsumi)_

 _Defence Unit, roger.  
Planning temporary redistribution of satellite base defence assignments to Far East Branch. Standing by. _

I move onto another email.

 _Subject: (CC: All) Defence OP (Haruomi)_

 _4_ _th_ _Unit, roger that  
The 4_ _th_ _Unit will abort expedition and standby at Far East._

I decide to read the last email before I get ready for the day.

 _Subject: (CC: All) Defence OP (Lindow)_

 _Lindow here. Cradle will be going raid-stance as usual. On standby for further orders._

It appears as though all of the Far East Branch's Units are on standby and awaiting further orders. I wonder if the Intelligence Centre will do the same with Blood. It's not my call but I'd imagine we will be defending on the Branch if it comes to it…

As I approach Hibari to accept a mission in dealing with the Arc Aberrants, she informs me that Director Feldman would like me to attend a briefing before I do so. Thus, I head into the meeting room to see him.

"Good work on your last mission." Feldman strangely compliments my team and me. It feels very unusual to hear those kinds of words from him. It makes me feel like he's genuinely thankful to us. "I know it is a lot to ask, but I have another urgent task for you." Here it is, I was expecting this. He wants my Blood Unit to help with the eradication of the Arc Abberants. "The contamination of the Tree is a big problem, but first we must deal with the Aragami horde and new species."

"What happened to the Tree?" As far as I know, things didn't go according to plan and I'm sure I heard Dr. Rachel's voice as well. I don't know how though.

"The control system was hacked, and we can't shut it down. Contamination of the Spiral Tree is reaching crisis levels… Our more pressing problem is the horde of Aragami and the new species – the Arc Aberrants. Stopping the attacks of and eliminating the Aragami besieging the Far East Branch is our top priority. Blood, Cradle and the Defence Unit will help with the operation – we're putting out everything we have. I'm especially counting on Blood to deal with the new Arc Aberrant species. They are powerful enemies, but beatable." Hearing Feldman says this does make me feel slightly happier that he's finally recognised my team's talents. "It will be a bitter fight, I know… Still, I have no choice but to ask this of you."

"Blood will roll out immediately." I inform him before leaving the meeting room and going back to Hibari to see what we can help with. According to her, a Sekhmet and a fiery Borg Camlann are loose in the City of Mercy. I inform her that my team will head out for that mission and prepare to take on the Aragami, replenishing my Restore Pill stock and making sure that I've got sufficient consumables with me too.

Ciel, Nana, Gilbert and I arrive at the City of Mercy a short while later. I had decided to leave Livie behind in case an emergency came up; she would be able to take care of it while the rest of us fought against the Fallen Borg Camlann and the Sekhmet. It shouldn't take too long to destroy these Aragami.

"Have you guys heard about the situation?" I whisper as we stealthily try to locate our targets.

"About the horde of Aragami? Yeah, we have." Gilbert answers in a matter of fact voice.

"We've also been put as a first line of defence. It's just like the case with the Defence Unit, only we're against tougher opponents."

"That's fine!" Nana cheers enthusiastically. "We've gotten much stronger too!"

"Yes, you're right." Ciel speaks up and I turn towards her, a smile on her face. I quickly turn back before she can see my staring at her. I've never been able to get her out of my head, even when I'm with other women. My heart wants Ciel; I've come to accept that I'll never get over her. I just need to tell her that and hope that she's also been thinking about me. Now isn't the time though, maybe when we've rescued Julius I'll tell her.

"Sekhmet sighted, dead ahead." Gilbert takes me out of my thoughts as I look to where he states, only now realising that I was looking at the floor as I was deep in thought. As he says, a Sekhmet stands in a corner as it shovels the Oracle Cells of a Zygote into its mouth.

"Four sneak attacks are you ready?" I ask my team. If we can sneak towards the beast and land four surprise attacks, we'll have a huge advantage.

"Let's do it." A collective whisper from my group ensures that we have the same plan and we slowly creep towards the beast.

Sure enough, we did have a massive advantage and it was destroyed before the Borg Camlann showed up. Thus, we had to wait around for a little while before it actually did appear. When it did, we destroyed it too. As soon as the mission was finished, we headed straight back to the Den and awaited further instructions. We didn't have to wait long…


	116. Chapter 116 - Spartan Shield

Chapter 116

DISCLAIMER: I DO NOT OWN THE GOD EATER FRANCHISE HOWEVER I DO OWN MY OC.

Also, please leave a review!

Name: Cedrick Esparza  
Gender: Male  
Hairstyle: Style 7 (Dark Brown)

God Arc: Kurogane Blade C (Long Blade), F-BF Shot (Blast Gun), Kurogane Tower C (Tower Shield)  
Blood Art: Fatal Riser IV

"Thanks to Blood's work, we've managed to avoid a worst-case scenario. You have my gratitude." Director Feldman thanks us. After the mission, I was called into the meeting room and was informed that Director Feldman wanted to speak to me again. "Now… We are currently being attacked by waves of Aragami. I want to start a large-scale defence operation." Feldman continues to inform me. "There is one Arc Aberrant at the centre of the horde called 'Magna Gawain'. That is your target."

"I assume it's similar to the Arc Aberrant we fought during Operaton: Gateway?" I speak up as I try to calculate the Aragami's weakness in preparation for the fight.

"Very much so. It is of a similar breed. Dr. Leah will give you more details. You will play the leading role in the strategy. I'm counting on you." Yeah, no pressure… I turn my attention to Dr. Leah who stands a short distance away and walk towards her. I haven't had the chance to see her very often. Now though, I'll probably see her around everyday since she's had to move her base of operations to the Far East Branch.

"All of us left on Friar because Blood dealt with the Arc Aberrant… Thanks." She expresses her gratitude as well with a warm, kind smile. "As I watched Friar being taken into the Spiral Tree… I felt sadness, but also a certain… relief…" She tries to explain her emotions with a puzzled look on her face as she knows I don't quite understand.

"Well, it's good to see that you're safe, Leah." I may not see her very often, but my Unit and I would still feel it if she were to die too. She and her sister were the people that were overlooking our future, after all.

"We can talk more of that later." She dismisses the topic. "For now, let me tell you what we know of the Arc Aberrant so far. According to the Research Unit's data analysis, they become weaker after the God Arc-like portion is destroyed." She provides vital information to me. I thought that they had the same weaknesses of the same species of Aragami, but if destroying the God-Arc portion weakens them then that might be the best possible place to destroy first. "It may vary, but in general this seems to hold true. I hope the information will be of some use to you."

"I have no doubt that it will be vital in our endeavours." I reply to her with a smile.

"I've forwarded the mission details to Hibari, you should talk to her once you're prepared." Director Feldman speaks up and I turn towards him. "Don't take too long though, we don't have a lot of time."

"Got it. My team and I will save the day!" I rush out of the meeting room in excitement. There's almost a spring in my step. It isn't often that I get excited about missions like these, but this influx of Aragami are in the way of us saving Julius. I don't want to wait for longer than we need to. Thus, I run to Hibari's desk where she informs me more about the mission. It will be large-scale operation, like Feldman said, comprised of five parts. In the first part, my Unit and I need to defeat a Charged Chi-You and a new Aragami formed by the Spiral Tree; the Silky. We'll be right in the heart of the enemy swarm and Feldman believes Blood being here will disperse them; split them up into smaller groups that are more manageable. I check to see if I have all the equipment I need before rallying up my team and telling them the plan. Once I have told them, we roll out…

We walk through the Wailing Plains and it doesn't take long before we hear Aragami in the area. We hear multiple high-pitched squeals and when we see the sources of them, we stop and stare in wonder. These are no doubt the new Aragami named Silky and their names seem very fitting for them. They have a long, silky cloth hanging from their heads that extends freely down its back, almost like a veil. It has a slender, silver body with ample breasts. There's no doubt that was where my attention was drawn to first. I'm definitely a "breast-man". It also has long purple claws but that's not important. Its legs are strapped together and, honestly, I kind of want to see what's between them. My image of them becomes blurred as Nana goes charging forwards and attacks. Almost instantly after being engaged in battle, the Silky as well as the two others in the area summon a pool of blue fire under their feet. These Aragami are floating slightly above the ground too. I wonder what type of materials I will get from them.

"Yeah, charge." I say matter of factly as Ciel and Gilbert had also rushed into battle before me. It's clear that the pools of blue fire around their feet are dangerous, and thus, I opt to fire multiple Freeze Bullets at the closest one. However, it easily brushes off the attack and floats towards me while the blue fire pool remains in place. Not knowing what it is capable of, I deploy my shield as I watch it curiously. It floats into my shield and surprisingly doesn't knock me back very far; maybe about 30 centimetres. It reaches into the air, I keep my shield deployed even though it is right in front of me. I see blue flames rising in a circle around me, looking down I see where they're coming from. A blue pool of fire forms underneath me. I attempt to backstep quickly but I don't make it in time. "Argh!" The searing flames scorch my legs. The pain alone almost makes me hallucinate the scent of burning flesh; my own burning flesh. I manage to leave the pool of fire and deploy my shield as I kneel down and try to check for any injuries. However, the Silky doesn't allow for that as another, smaller pool of fire forms beneath me. I move away quickly this time, dodging what I now realise to be a rising pool that becomes a tower of fire. As soon as it settles, I charge towards the Silky who has now moved away from its own pit of heat. I uppercut it with my Arc numerous times which puts it out of commission. I devour its core before looking towards my teammates. I can still feel the flames around my feet but it's a survivable pain. It's probably just a few, little, red marks. I'll be able to check after the mission. I see Ciel fighting a Silky by herself, being very careful not to get too close to the Aragami. Nana and Gilbert, on the other hand, do the hit and run tactic; they hit the Silky and then back off.

"Blood Alpha," I hear Hibari speak through the comms. "A Charged Chi-You has been detected heading straight towards you. Be careful." I turn around a couple of times and see no sign of the medium-sized Aragami. To be safe though, I deploy my shield.

"You sure, Hibari?" I get back in contact with her. "I can't see it anywhere."

"Really?" The confusion in my voice must have made her equally confused. "It should almost be on top of you. Stay safe." She encourages me to stay defensive and I decide to keep my shield up. It's a good job that I do as only seconds later, numerous balls of electricity of sent hurtling my way. I easily avoid any damage from the attacks. I was able to track where the attacks came from, so when they stopped I was able to run towards the location. As soon as I do, I deliver a swift, powerful blow to its fist before being forced to back away

"Ciel, Nana, Gilbert," I speak their names to get their attention through the comms, "I've found the primary target at the opposite side of the crater. As soon as you've finished there, help me here." I quickly deploy my shield to avoid the Avian-Humanoid's gliding attack where small bolts of electricity drop off of its wings. The electricity disappears as soon as the Aragami comes to a halt. I run towards the Aragami and slash at its wings before it has the chance to turn around. When it does turn around, I throw down a stun grenade and manage to land another four solid hits using my Blood Art by uppercutting the Aragami. It's wing bond breaks because of my attacks and it gets really. It charges towards me in succession three times, but my shield saves me from most damage. However, the trailing electricity does enough damage to me to grunt and occasionally lower my shield, allowing for my electricity to hit me with the next charge.

"Wow, you made it angry." Nana speaks up as she and Gilbert enter my line of sight.

"No shit…" I grunt out due to the pain, probably sounding a lot meaner than I wanted it to. I was only meant to sound sarcastic, not mean. "Sorry, it's electricity's hit me a few times." I comment as they begin attacking the beast which opts to go after the newcomers rather than me. This gives me plenty of time to swallow a couple of Restore Pills and regain the energy that I had lost during this fight. It also helps me to build up my stamina. It might not look it but having to constantly have your shield deployed does take up a lot of stamina. I'm forced to deploy it again as the Aragami fires one ball of electricity into the air before making itself small and unleashing a torrent of electricity in multiple directions. This attack leaves it at the mercy of Gilbert and Nana. I decide not to join in on their onslaught, so I can save a bit of energy and stock up on Oracle Points. I fire a couple of Freeze bullets at the Charged Chi-You.

"Ah!" Gilbert groans as the Charged Chi-You delivers a powerful attack with its claw. I change my set bullet to a healing bullet and fire it at Gilbert three times. "Thanks!" He replies with a smile on his face; all of his anguish being replaced with anger towards the Aragami. I decide to stay on the defensive and provide healing support.

"It's almost dead?" Ciel comments as she sees the state of the medium-sized Aragami that has dropped to its knees in exhaustion, having only just arrived from beating a Silky.

"Feel free to join in, Ciel." Again, I realise only after I say it that it sounds like I'm angry. This time though, I'm not sure what to say to show that I'm not angry. If I just straight up said that I'm not angry then that's going to look pretty suspicious.

"Don't mind if I do." Thankfully, Ciel doesn't take what I say personally, or she just brushes it off as she changes her Arc to Gun Form and fires a few shots in its direction; depleting her Oracle Points before joining the Melee attackers of Gilbert and Nana. This leaves me at no choice but to provide support. It's hard enough to try and fire damaging bullets at the Aragami while trying to avoid hitting Gilbert and Nana, but with Ciel in the mix it just becomes a lot harder. I would join the melee-attacking group, but standing rooted to the ground and firing bullets gives my legs a bit of time to heal from those minor burns that the Silky inflicted.

With Ciel also attacking the Charged Chi-You, it dies only minutes later. Gilbert is the first to extract its core and I walk over to the group, my legs feeling almost 100%; only a very minor pain remains if I move my legs the wrong way.

"Good work team." I comment with a smile on my face. "But there's no room for dillydallying. We've still got more work to do." I add to my comment, the smile growing slightly wider before I place a hand to my headset. "Hibari, part one finished. Where next?"

"Got that! We can see that the Silky and Charged Chi-You have been defeated. Good work! Next up is the Sunken Grid where a Ravana, a Ukonvasara and a Fallen Gboro-Gboro await you." Hibari informs me and I quickly relay the information to the rest of my team. Immediately, we start running towards the Sunken Grid.

Upon arriving in the Sunken Grid, we can only see two Aragami; the Fallen Gboro-Gboro and the Ukonvasara. They're nowhere near each other though, making this mission slightly easier than it should be.

"Get the Ukonvasara first. It's probably the biggest pain in the arse that we'll encounter in this mission since it has thick armour." I reason to my teammates as we will have more energy at the start of the battle, thus it should be easier to defeat it earlier rather than later. Plus, I really don't want to have to deal with its belly sliding attack where it charges towards you with its massive jaw opened wide enough to swallow you whole; especially if we have to fight two Aragami at once. My team don't argue as I pick our next victim.

We stealthily walk towards the crocodilian beast and I prepare a plan in my head. As we get within ten metres of it, I tell my team to wait behind a stack of large, metal girders. I creep to within five metres of the crocodilian and set up a paralysis trap. Then I turn towards my team and give them a signal to creep towards me. As I wait for them to catch up, I try to listen to their footsteps, just so I know how good we are at stealth. I'd much rather go straight on the attack; guns blazing, but stealth can give you a huge advantage. Take this situation for example, four direct attacks and a paralysis trap waiting for it. I see my team standing beside me and realise I never heard their footsteps. I can't help but smile as I realise this before I point to the area we should focus our attacks on; the turbine on its back. We all prepare our Blood Arts and prepare to deliver four destructive blows that could potentially break the turbine bond.

"Gra" It makes some sort of noise before it turns its head. We never anticipated that it would move so we're forced to hit it early, meaning we don't have the full power of our Blood Arts as we attack it. If that wasn't bad enough, only Nana manages to land a hit on the beast who grunts more out of surprise than anything else since Nana narrowly missed hitting the turbine and instead hit the thick armour on its back. It turns around and notices us instantly.

"AoE attack!" I shout and deploy my shield just seconds before it unleashes an area of effect attack. The electricity crackles around its body as well as everything else approximately three metres away from the beast. Unfortunately, we were caught in the blast, but we did manage to defend ourselves from a lot of the damage. However, the AoE attack also managed to completely destroy the paralysis trap I set. This means that while we did still get the advantage of a surprise attack, it was a weak one. "Hit its sides!" I inform my Unit as the Ukonvasara arches its tail and an electrical current begins flowing under my feet. I run to the side of the Aragami, thus avoiding an attack that takes a few seconds to build up, and start slashing at the turbine on its back.

"Watch out for a sliding attack!" Gilbert warns as the crocodilian shuffles backwards and opens its jaw wide. To avoid the attack completely, I jump on top of the metal girders we were hiding behind earlier. It attempts to jump up towards me as it nears the end of its slide but it fails to jump high enough. It takes a couple of seconds to regain its energy before attacking again, we take advantage of this short window of opportunity and slash at the monster. I continue slashing at its turbine while still being on top of the girders. It wriggles backwards and opens it jaws again, preparing to slide again. It slides towards Ciel whose shield protects her from any damage. As it comes to a stop the four of us pile on the attacks aimed at its turbine again and this time we manage to break it. It roars in pain but we don't stop attacking. I decide to shift focus to its tail while Ciel, Nana and Gilbert continue dealing a lot of damage to its turbine. It thrashes and manages to take Nana off guard, sending her flying through the air.

"You okay, Nana?" I run towards her as she slowly gets back to her feet.

"I'm fine." She replies, and within a few seconds, she looks as though she's ready to fight again. I turn my attention back to the Ukonvasara and see that its tail bond is broken as well. Someone must have taken over as I went to check on Nana.

"Nana, keep hitting its turbine. Your God Arc's crushing attacks should be very effective."

"Got it!" She says enthusiastically as she charges towards the monster. I switch my God Arc to Gun Form and fire a health bullet at her that also increases attack damage before firing defence-raising health bullets at Gilbert and Ciel who are now right in front of the Ukonvasara. Since the Aragami is distracted with Ciel and Gilbert, it doesn't notice that Nana is charging her Blood Art and targeting its turbine until it's too late. The Aragami falls with a thud but continues to breathe. The three of them relentlessly attack it and it doesn't get back up. Nana devours its core before we move to the other side of the Sunken Grid to fight the Gboro-Gboro.

I repeat the same tactic that I used for the Ukonvasara, adamant that it will work; I set up a paralysis trap before informing my team to charge up their Blood Arts and attack its dorsal fin. This time, we all manage to connect with the target and it falls to the ground as it gasps for air. It was more likely surprised by our attacks than defeated by it, otherwise it would have been a very weak Aragami.

"Get it while its down!" Ciel exclaims, sensing the chance to deal major damage to the beast. Being the weakest place, I decide to slash at its long nose while the others each choose a different place. I'd probably give Nana the most credit towards defeating this beast as she aims for its dorsal fin which has already been weakened. She manages to break its bond by the time it gets back to its feet. The Blaze-type Gboro-Gboro immediately goes on the attack as a pool of fire forms around it. Knowing what happened the last time fire appeared at my feet, I knew to escape straight away. Thus, I easily avoid the torrent of fire that forms around the medium-sized Aragami. I look around me and notice I can't my three teammates. I won't lie, my heartbeat quickens but I also realise that I haven't heard their screams of pain. They must be on the other side of the flaming torrent. As it settles, I realise that was the case and breathe out a sigh that I didn't know I was holding. The Gboro-Gboro turns to face them which gives me the perfect chance to devour part of it. The Aragami instantly feels my God Arc bite into it.

"Ciel! Bullet transfer!" I announce my plans and I quickly change my Arc to Gun Form to transfer the bullets I extracted from it to Ciel. As soon as she receives them, she fires them straight at the Aragami's face and manages to unbind its fangs. I can't help but smile now as it will make the beast think twice about trying to bite someone. "Nice work!" I congratulate her because of her aim. I decide to continue slashing at the beast while it fires multiple balls of fire towards the three in front of it. After it fires at my team, they join my on the attack again and we manage to make it fall to the ground again. We relentlessly slash at it and it doesn't get back up. Gilbert claims this one and devours its core.

"Just a Ravana left then?" Nana speaks up with a cute head tilt as we haven't even encountered the Ravana yet.

"We just need to find it." Ciel states as she begins looking around us, probably deeming the best way to go to find it.

"If it's just one Ravana, won't it be best to split up?" Gilbert suggests as his God Arc leans against his shoulder. I've just noticed that Nana's God Arc leans against her shoulder as well. I can kind of understand it for her, a hammer like hers deals crushing damage and she'd easily be able to deal damage just by slamming it down on an Aragami at that range, but Gilbert uses a spear. His God Arc should be at his side, which means just one thing.

"You shouldn't drop your guard, guys. Just because we can't see our target, that doesn't mean it can't see us." I reprimand them as I reminds them of the Charged Chi-You that we were fighting earlier. Gilbert immediately lowers his God Arc to his side while Nana tightens her grip on her Arc. "But Gilbert is right. We'll have a better chance finding it if we split up."

"In that case," Ciel speaks up, "I suggest we go in two teams. I'll go with the Captain. Nana and Gil will be the other team." My heart almost jumps into my throat at Ciel suggests that we team up together.

"Actually Ciel," I interrupt, and she looks at me. I also feel the stares of Nana and Gilbert who already know of my feelings towards Ciel. "I was hoping to go with Gil." I honestly don't think I could handle being around Ciel by myself at the minute. It's only recently that I knew that I'm not able to give up on her, and I do plan on asking her for a second time. But, I don't have the confidence for that second time to be now. I see Ciel's face sadden, and I'm not the only one to notice as Gil, who has been standing beside me the entire time, discretely jabs me in the ribs as if to say, 'why not go with her?'

"Oh, okay." Even her voice sounds slightly depressed which just makes me feel even more guilty. She turns towards Nana who simply smiles and nods her head at Ciel. The two of them turn around and begin walking in the other direction.

"You're an idiot, you know that." Gilbert tries to reprimand me for my decision. There is another reason I decided not to go with Ciel though, one I don't hesitate to tell Gilbert.

"I decided not to go with her for two reasons." I tell him as we begin walking as well. "The first is that I'm not ready to confess for a second time yet."

"And the second?" Gilbert asks with curiosity in his voice, seemingly able to understand why I'd have difficulty confessing again.

"She knows that something's wrong with me." I inform him. "There have been numerous times when she's caught me acting suspicious." I don't go into detail about these times, but he doesn't need to know that. There's one big event that guarantees that she's suspicious of me and that was the day before Livie arrived; the day when I was in Ciel's room, saw her cute, sleeping face and cleaned her room of all of the paper scattered around it. I never turned to face her, I kept my face to the floor as I picked up the paper. She even asked me if something was wrong and I quickly dismissed her by saying I needed a shower. "There's no doubt in my mind that she would want to know what's been bothering me. That's why she suggested that her and I form a group. I can't tell her that it is her that is bothering me."

"I see." Gilbert merely says more out of commitment so that I know he was listening. "That could have been a good chance to confess though." He reasons.

"No, it wouldn't. Girls like that sort of thing to be romantic, right? What's romantic about her and I scouting the area for an Aragami?" He doesn't respond to my question. Instead, he raises a hand to his ear for a few seconds, stopping in place as he does so.

"We're on our way." He takes his hand away from his ear, and thus headset. "Ciel's found the Ravana." Why didn't she get in contact with me at the same time? Gilbert gives a knowing look to me. "I guess you're in the dog house."

"What?"

"Ciel must be in a mood with you. Come on, you can ask her about it later. Right now, we've got to defeat a Ravana." He leads the way as we head towards the Ravana as well as Ciel and Nana.

By the time we reach the girls, they've already engaged in battle. Ciel uses her God Arc's Gun Form while Nana is being Nana and enthusiastically smashing the Aragami under her huge hammer. It looks as though Nana's managed to unbind the Ravana's front legs. Gilbert joins Nana in melee attacking the Aragami while I stand by Ciel's side and support them just as she's doing. An awkward silence fills the space between us that is only shattered by the sound of the Aragami's pained screams as well as God Arcs hitting it.

"Is something wrong?" I attempt to start a conversation with her.

"Nothing's wrong, Captain." She replies simply. Her voice sounds the same as usual, but her face shows small signs of anger.

"Are you sure?" She doesn't reply. "Are you sure?" I ask again but I'm met with silence as a response. "Ciel?" Again, she doesn't answer. In the end, I just sigh and accept the fact that time heals all wounds. Instead of standing around with Ciel, I decide to change my Arc to Melee Form and join Gilbert and Nana.

It doesn't take long for the Ravana to die with the three of us attacking it and close distance. As we were fighting though, I noticed that Ciel provided support for not only Gilbert and Nana, but for me as well. It seems as though her mood might be lifting. However, I decide to let her speak to me first, just so that I know she's no longer in a mood.

"Hibari," I get in contact with her as I slightly pant, "our next targets?"

"There's a Fierce Kongou and multiple Silky in the Abandoned City. Please make your way there." She informs me, and I relay the information to my team. We run towards the area of our next mission.

As we approach the Abandoned City, we immediately see our targets. However, they're all grouped up together.

"Okay, so how are we going to do this one?" I ask the team, unsure exactly of what to do. "As we've found out already, Silky have approximately the same amount of health as a Chi-You. So, we're basically fighting four medium-sized Aragami here." I hypothesise. "Does anyone object to us all taking one Aragami each?" I ask the group and am met with no response. "Does anyone prefer to fight the Fierce Kongou?" Again, no response. I release a sigh because of this. "I guess I'll fight the Fierce Kongou. Once you're finished fighting your Silky, come help me." I reluctantly speak before jumping off of the ledge and walking towards battle.

Within ten minutes, the three Silky and the Fierce Kongou have been defeated. I got in contact with Hibari who informed me that the next mission would be against Yaksha Raja and a Kongou in the City of Mercy. So, my team and I went there and easily killed them before I got back in touch with Hibari who said that the next place to go was the Scarred Walls to kill the Arc Aberrant in the middle of the pack. Thus, we set off for the Scarred Walls in preparation to kill the Aragami known as a Magna Gawain.

Upon arriving, our worst fears were realised. The Magna Gawain was grouped up with a few other Aragami; a Wild Blade Arc Soldier and two Silky.

"Guys," I whisper to my team in a fed up voice. "This is the last part of the mission. I want Gilbert and Nana to take care of the Silky while Ciel kills the God Arc Soldier. After that, you can help me with the Arc Aberrant."

"You can't take it on by yourself!" Ciel exclaims in worry and I look at her with a surprised look on my face. It's the first time she's spoken up since the incident in the Sunken Grid. I guess all it really took was for me to put myself in a massive amount of danger before she spoke to me.

"She's right." Gilbert chimes in. "There's no way we can let you do that."

"Yeah, we should stick together when it comes to that Aragami!" Nana agrees with them. I peer over the ledge to see what is happening on the battlefield. Unfortunately, none of the Aragami show signs of leaving the area.

"You've got no choice in this matter." I address my team in a commanding tone that they're probably not used to. "It doesn't look as though the Aragami will split up any time soon and we can't just ignore the large Aragami."

"Yeah but this isn't the way to do it!" Ciel's worry becomes more and more obvious and I give a confident smile back to the group.

"Aren't you forgetting that I can rely on my Blood Rage? I'll be able to handle it until you've all defeated your Aragami." I give a wide, unwavering smile. In all honesty, I probably agree with them. It's going to take a miracle to come out of this one uninjured. My smile does nothing to comfort them. "Listen, this is the only way." I turn towards the battlefield leaving my teammates with one last sentence, "This will motivate you to kill your targets quicker." I jump off of the ledge and run into the scene of battle. I deliver a sharp blow to the Magna Gawain's left claw to grab its attention before running away as it turns to see what hit it. However, I also attracted the attention of one of the Silky and it begins to tail me. Gilbert manages to distract it by shooting at it while the Magna Gawain continues following me into a different part of the battle zone. "Thanks, Gilbert." I communicate with him through the communication lines between us.

"Just don't get killed before we can help you." He sounds angry, but at the same time accepting; knowing it was the only way to complete this mission.

Eventually, I come to a stop and the Magna Gawain does too. It roars at me to try and make itself seem like a bigger threat. There's no need to do that though. It's already going to be the toughest opponent I've faced ever. However, that doesn't mean I'm not going to try and fight it. This must be how Julius and Romeo felt when they fought the Marduk and numerous other Aragami together while trying to shield themselves from the Red Rain. I will feel what they felt in this fight, and I will win. I smile as the Aragami roars and activate Blood Rage. I don't hesitate as the Aragami attempts to crush me into the earth as the yellow veil encompasses my entire body and protects me from any attacks. I can't help but chuckle as the Magna Gawain's confusion at not seeing me crushed. I quickly select the pledges and act on them. Immediately deploying my shield as the Magna Gawain kicks up a whirlwind of flames. As soon as it stops, I go on the attack immediately, dealing enough damage to activate Blood Rage. However, seeing as though I had no help in this fight, I had to choose pledges that I would easily be able to do by myself; in other words very few pledges. This means that this Blood Rage is weaker than it usually would be, but it still protects me from any damage and allows me to deal more damage to my target. I smile as I feel the golden wheel protrude through my back. I know that Blood Rage has successfully activated and start jumping and slashing at the Aragami whenever I can. However, it backs away several times which means that I have to chase it for more than a few seconds; wasting those precious seconds. By the end of this Blood Rage use, I'm panting like crazy and haven't really dealt a sufficient amount of damage to the Magna Gawain. I manage to deploy my shield to avoid its attack using a long spike that protrudes from the palm of its right claw.

"Is that all you've got?" I can't help but egg my opponent on as I haven't been damaged yet while it has been. As the Aragami backs off to perform another attack. I click the button on my God Arc and activate Blood Rage again; depleting the bar to 200%. I'm still able to use Blood Rage twice more, but I should probably try and hold back from using it too quickly in this fight. Otherwise, I'll have no advanced form of dealing a lot of damage, so I'll probably have to stay on the defensive until my teammates arrive. That's when I remember, "Oh yeah, If I destroy the God Arc parts, they become weaker!" As I observe the Aragami while the yellow veil around me protects me from damage, I try to see where its God Arc parts are. Eventually, I come to the realisation that it's the shields on its arms. With my target within the target located, I choose another pledge and act on it, performing a quick devour before moving to apply the required amount of damage before I can activate it. The Aragami

"Cedrick!" I hear Nana to my left and deploy my shield while I look over there. I realise immediately why she shouted my name. While I was distracted with the Magna Gawain, two pools of fire formed around me. I look to the right as I hear someone panting and see Gilbert staring at the pools of fire under my feet. If that isn't bad enough, there's no way I will be able to escape them. They're too large for me to simply move out of. The only way I can avoid being damaged here is to use Blood Rage. With a new vigour I relentlessly hack away at the Magna Gawain in front of me, but…

"AH! FUCK!" I can really feel the heat from the flames around my feet as they slowly and agonisingly crawl further up my legs.

"Cedrick!" Gilbert shouts in worry as the flames crawls even further up my legs. Nevertheless, I try to fight through the pain and swing at the Gawain. Finally, the pain dulls as the usual golden wheel spirals out of my back and Blood Rage activates. I relentlessly slash at the Aragami, feeling the slightest bit of relief that the burns don't hurt me at the moment, but I know that the moment Blood Rage stops, it's going to hurt like hell. That's why I chase after the Magna Gawain who has since tried to escape again. It takes me to another area of the battle, away from the Silky so I guess I should be happy about that, but it wastes another few valuable seconds of Blood Rage by doing so. I continue my onslaught on the shield-like parts on its arms, breaking them within the last few seconds of Blood Rage. Fearing what will happen as soon as Blood Rage is done. "Blood! Get here now!" I command and I can hear the pain in my voice. Thankfully, by destroying the Magna Gawain's God Arc parts, it's fallen to the ground to regain its own energy which gave me a chance to look down at my legs. Blue flames coat the entirety of my ankles and shins.

"Is something wrong?" I hear Ciel speaking with slight worry and surprise in her voice. I'm not surprised seeing as how she wasn't there when I was severely burned.

"Got it!" Gilbert answers, already knowing why I'm commanding this of them.

"On my way!" Nana also answers, knowing why I called for them.

"Just get here, Ciel." I know that sounds very mean of me since it sounds like a don't really give a shit about what she's trying to do at the minute, but she should forgive me when she sees the state I'm in. Regardless, I say that to Ciel while I sprint the furthest point away from the Magna Gawain while still keeping it in my sights. I lean and fall down against a large rock just as Blood Rage wears off. "Ah! Fuck me!" The instant it does, the pain makes itself known instantly. I look to my legs and notice that my trousers now look like they're shorts; having burned off all the fabric below the knees. That's not what concerns me though, while the blue flames are no longer wrapped around my bare skin, there are clear signs of burning on my legs. The sight of it almost makes me throw up but the smell of it succeeds in making me do so. I finish puking just as Nana and Gilbert show up and come to my side.

"What the hell?!" Gilbert exclaims, kneeling down to get a better image of my burnt legs.

"Oh no! I knew I should have followed the Silky straight away!" Nana exclaims emotionally, I can hear the lump in her throat through her voice. If that wasn't obvious enough, just seeing her hold her hands to her face is enough to make me know how she feels.

"Guys, finish off the Magna Gawain!" I command to them, pointing at the beast that struggles to its feet. "I'll be fine. Just give me time to rest. It's the priority right now!" I say all in one go. I know I'm going to survive and so do they, but we don't want the Aragami to survive. It takes them a few seconds but eventually they go and fight it.

"Don't move, Cedrick." Gilbert says, and I can hear the worry in his voice too.

"We'll be back as soon as we're done." Nana chips in reassuringly as they continue my work. There no doubt about the fact that they're blaming themselves for what's happened to me. The fact that I gave them the easiest Aragami available to beat, and yet those Aragami still managed to escape them and injure me instead. The funny thing is, they said that I wouldn't be able to survive fighting against the Magna Gawain by myself, but it is their targets that hurt me more. I look to the fight and see them struggling against the Magna Gawain. I assume that they've already killed their targets, otherwise I'd hate for the same thing to happen again. The large Aragami spins in the air and knocks them both off of their feet. It's clear that they can't do this alone. The only reason I managed to damage the beast is because of my Blood Rage.

"Hang on, guys!" I shout to them, ignoring the pain in my legs as I stand up and press the button on my God Arc to activate Blood Rage for the third time. "Just deal about 6000 damage to it!" I shout to them again, ignoring their cries for me to continue to rest as I walk slowly towards the beast. Eventually, they realise that I'm not going to back down and deal the appropriate amount of damage to the Aragami, although I helped by shooting a few bullets in its direction. As the golden wheel protrudes from my back for the third time in a matter of minutes, I charge towards the beast. All the pain I felt before disappearing for a brief thirty seconds. It was enough to bring the monster down though, just as Ciel joins us. I extract its core, having definitely deserved to take this one while Nana stumbles to her feet, using her God Arc as support. I place my hands on my knees, my back arched as I pant heavily; partially due to Blood Rage but mostly due to the burns on my legs.

"Is it… Is it really over now? Did we win?" Nana asks as she manages to bring herself back to her feet.

"Defence Unit, do you read me? You need to fall back!" I hear Hibari through the comms as she talks to a different unit. I guess it isn't over yet.

"Not happening, Hibari. This is our home, and we mean to keep it safe. We'll fight to the last man and the last round if we must." I also hear Tatsumi reply to Hibari. It's a good thing that there are links like this available otherwise we wouldn't be able to hear what is going on other battlefields.

"Hey, we've even got time for a little chat. We're fine. We're good." That voice sounds as though it belongs to Brendan.

"1st Unit, circle around to support their flanks! Let's go!" Kota commands of his unit.

"Yes, sir." Erina responds. I haven't heard from her for a while, I wonder how she's been and if she's still having trouble with Emil.

"Blood Unit, reporting. We're jumping on this fight! Let's go, team!" Gilbert speaks up, having also heard the conversations that has been taking place. I don't know whether he's forgot about my injuries, or just thinks that I can still fight, nevertheless he could have asked me. However, I guess I am still able to fight, the pain is starting to die down now. Although that's probably due to all of the adrenaline pumping through me.

"Blood, you must withdraw for Bias Factor Check! You've been out there for too long." Fran informs us.

"Captain, I have a portable Bias Factor kit. If you want to keep fighting, we're with you." Ciel speaks up, glancing down at my bare legs as she finishes her speech and I can see her face contort into one filled with worry.

"Let's do it." I respond simply as I try to keep my burns hidden. They'll probably take a few days to heal, but I won't stop that from doing what must be done. Something which I make sure is known to my team.

"Everyone… Look there! More Aragami!" Nana speaks up and we look in the same direction she looks at. I instantly notice two more Silky appearing which makes me back off slightly, the burns on my legs seem to become more intense as well, as if they can sense the Silky too. Two more Arc Aberrants appear as well, a Yaksha Raja Arc Aberrant as well as a Ukonvasara Arc Aberrant.

"Cradle, Blood, respond." I hear Teruomi through the comms too. "A second wave of reinforcements is emerging from the Tree. You'll have to hold them back!"

"No way, there's… there's so many. This is gonna be fun." Someone I assume from Cradle responds

"We see them. Cradle, engage at will. Take down anything you can!" Another Cradle operative speaks up.

"Blood Special Forces now joining the battle. Target at will!" Ciel commands on my behalf and a Yaksha Raja Arc Aberrant lands right next to her. It roars fiercely but she isn't intimidated by it.

"All right, if we're doing this, they're the ones going down!" Gilbert speaks as he runs towards his targets. "We keep moving, keep them on their toes. And we will get through like this! Come and get it!" He slashes at a Silky, bringing it down to the floor. "Julius is still alive. He's waiting for us to rescue him! And if he can fight, so can we! Now shove off!" Gilbert delivers the motivational speech I need as he uses his Blood Art to cut through the Arc Aberrant Ukonvasara and another Silky. How did I forget about the amount of pain that Julius must have been through in the Spiral Tree?! Surely, it's a hell of a lot worse than some burns to the legs!

"We'll clear out every one of these Aragami, then everybody will understand." Nana chips in, apparently Gilbert's motivational speech affected more than just me. "Finally… they'll see that Julius isn't the enemy! We'll do it… We'll slay 'em!" She shouts as she charges her Blood Art and completely obliterates two Silky that were heading towards her. "Every last one!" She jumps into the air and unleashes her Blood Power onto the two Silky to finish them off. Ciel meanwhile fires a bullet at her target.

"The last time we had to leave behind one of our own… We swore to return…" She converts her Arc to Melee Form. "In that moment, we knew helplessness. We had strength, just not strength enough. This time, we won't fail. Never again!" Two Silky approach her from behind, before I can warn her though, she already attacks them. "We won't give up…" She charges her own Blood Power and puts everything into her God Arc as the Yaksha Raja Arc Aberrant charges towards her. "We'll never give up!" She slashes into the beast and sends it backwards.

"We will save Julius! We'll bring him back and we won't quit until we've done so!" I charge my own Blood Art and deliver my attacks to two Silky that approached me. I don't stop there though, I also slash at another Magna Gawain that appears and manage to make it stumble.

0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0

Elsewhere, in the God Arc Storage warehouse. A God Arc linked up to a machine begins beeping which only grows stronger and stronger with each passing second. So strong in fact that the entire God Arc begins to shake

0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0

As the Aragami begin charging to us again, we ready our Arcs and prepare to land our next attack. However, the Aragami suddenly stop in their tracks. That isn't all though as when I try to change my Arc to Gun Form, I find that I'm unable to do so. The Aragami observe us for a few brief moments before turning away and leaving the area completely.

"Hibari, can you hear me? It's Tatsumi. The Aragami are… They're all running away." Tatsumi confirms to Hibari that the same thing is happening to them as well.

"We see it on screen. It's like they're heading back to the Tree from all over the Far East." Hibari confirms the situation.

"That Blood Power, I know it!" Gilbert speaks up in realisation, which is when I realise that it was in fact a Blood Power that cause the Aragami to back off. One we all know so well.

"Me too! I-It's his! It's Romeo's!" A chill goes up my spine as Nana says the person's name. Romeo. The first person to die during our time in Blood. However, with no more Aragami left to fight, I sit on the ground as the adrenaline slowly wears off and the pain makes itself known again.

"I'm sorry to ruin the moment guys, but Gil," I speak his name to grab his attention, "You think you can lend me an arm?" He hurries over to me, as do Nana and Ciel as my own situation becomes the priority.

"How did that happen?" Now that there are no more threats to our life and our way of being for the time being, Ciel decides to ask this now. She definitely noticed early and the same horror and worry that were on her face then are still on her face now. She and Gilbert wrap one of my arms around their shoulders and we begin walking back to the Den. As Ciel asks the question, I can feel Gilbert turning his head away most likely in shame.

"That's not important right now." I turn my head to Ciel only now noticing how close to each other we are. Her face and mine are only two or three inches away from each other and I can see every detail of her face. Waking up next to her every morning would be a heavenly way to spend the rest of my life. "What is important is getting me to the Infirmary." I'm pretty sure I can hear Nana shuffle from behind us at the thought of me being in the Infirmary. "I'm going to need these burns to be treated before I can do anything else…"


	117. Chapter 117 - Misleading

Chapter 117

DISCLAIMER: I DO NOT OWN THE GOD EATER FRANCHISE HOWEVER I DO OWN MY OC.

Also, please leave a review!

Name: Cedrick Esparza  
Gender: Male  
Hairstyle: Style 7 (Dark Brown)

God Arc: Kurogane Blade C (Long Blade), F-BF Shot (Blast Gun), Kurogane Tower C (Tower Shield)  
Blood Art: Fatal Riser IV

Gilbert and Ciel bring me into the Infirmary and place me on a bed; carefully making me sit on the bed before making me lie down on the bed.

"Where's the doctor?" Ciel asks as she looks around curiously. Gilbert and I join her in looking to see if we can see any sign of the doctor, sitting up as I do so.

"Typical." I give a disappointed sigh. There's never a doctor around when you need one.

"This is bullshit! How're you supposed to get treated if there's no doctor around!" Gilbert exclaims in a fit of rage. It's hard to forget how deeply you are cared for most of the time, but Gilbert's exclamation proves he cares about me. I'm not too surprised though, he's lost a number of people during his time in this line of work.

"I've been trained to administer basic care…" I turn to Ciel as she speaks, and she looks dejected, her eyes pointing down to the ground with a hand in front of her chest; holding it in front of her heart and implying that she's truly apologetic that she couldn't do anymore. I look away from her, not baring to watch her. As I look away, I notice that we're the only people in the Infirmary; there are no other patients. I had thought we could ask another patient if they knew the whereabouts of the medical practitioner, but it appears that is something we can't do. "If only I had learned how to treat severe burns."

"Don't worry about it, Ciel." I speak up with a smile to try and show her that everything is fine; to show her I feel no pain. To try and prove it, I attempt to bring me legs closer to me and sit cross-legged. However, she places her hands below my knees to stop me from withdrawing them.

"You shouldn't move, Cedrick. You could aggravate your injuries." Her voice is a commanding one that is full of worry and care. It generates a warmth in my chest.

"I should look for the doctor. Keep an eye on him, Ciel." Gilbert comments before leaving the room and leaving Ciel and I alone. I look back to Ciel and she looks at me.

"You can let go of my legs now." I tell her with a sly smile and she quickly relinquishes her hold on them with a shy look on her face. It's a face that replaces my shy smile with a warm one. I think it's safe to assume that she's no longer in a mood with me. She doesn't speak up. "So, do you plan on staying with me?"

"I do." She responds determinedly and accentuates her answer with a sharp nod of her head. "Since there is still something I can do for you." She moves around to my side and places a hand on my chest. My heart instantly reacts as it quickens in pace and my chest warms up very quickly. She puts some force into her hand and pushes me down onto the bed. She removes her hand from my chest and grabs one of my hands, bringing it to my side and eventually to the edge of the bed. That's when I hear something snap.

"Ciel?" I quickly sit up only to be forced back down. I look to my hand as Ciel walks around the other side of me. "Ciel, don't you think you're going a bit too fast?" My heart races but I'm not sure if it's out of anticipation or fear. "I don't really have a fetish for being tied to a bed." For some reason, every time I've been in the Infirmary prior I've failed to notice handcuffs at the side of the bed. Ciel's managed to put one of them on me and tries to delicately take my other hand and do the same thing. I quickly pull back though, keeping it close to my chest.

"You trust me, right?" She takes my head into her hands and makes me look her in the eyes. I have no idea what she's doing but the sight is breath-taking. So much so that I don't even realise that she's taken my hand away from my chest and tied it to the other side of the bed with more handcuffs.

"Ciel, I'm serious… You're making me very uncomfortable." I choose not to answer her as I realise it was just a ploy to make me drop my guard, so she can keep me strapped to the bed.

"Just try to relax, Cedrick. Otherwise you'll be even more uncomfortable." I watch with fear in my eyes as she leaves my bed and looks around the Infirmary.

"Ciel, please…" One of my greatest fears is no longer being able to control my own actions. It was the case when I saw Ciel sleeping, and it is the case now. I can't move my hands from the edges of my bed despite my desperate attempts at rattling them and forcing myself to put all of my effort into doing so, ignoring the new pains on my wrist. "Ciel!" She ignores my pained cries, and I've never been more fearful in my life. If something were to happen now, I'd be unable to do anything. Someone else is in control of my life, and even if I trust them, it's still a very fearful experience. Of course, by now I know that Ciel didn't tie me to the bed for some sick sexual fantasy of hers, the fact that she's disappeared further into the Infirmary proves that. It's the fact that I don't know what she is doing that makes me fear this situation. She comes back into view and I see a bottle in her hand.

"Just calm down, Cedrick. This will only hurt a little." She speaks up in a failed attempt to stop me from worrying, and as she does so, I see the bottle in her hand and only begin to worry even more.

"Ciel, you said you don't know how to treat burns, right? So, why do you have a bottle of disinfectant in your hand?" I'm sure I catch my voice break as I ask her. It doesn't take a genius to calculate what's going to happen next.

"That's right, but I know how to disinfect wounds." She smiles sinisterly, or maybe it's just my imagination going into overdrive. Despite the pain I feel in my legs, I try to bring my legs closer to me but Ciel takes a firm grip of one of them and gives me a sharp look since she failed to grab the other leg and it now rests underneath me. As she stares into my face, she somehow manages to tie my leg to the side of the bed too, and I only realise it after she tries to reach under me and get my other leg. As she tries to do that though, and I desperately keep my leg under me, the Infirmary door opens and I see familiar purple clothes.

"Gil! Help me!" I shout as soon as I see him enter the Infirmary and he just stares at us in disbelief. From behind him, a big-breasted woman pushes into the Infirmary.

"Are we interrupting something?" Kanon smiles with a knowing grin.

"It seems like we are." Gilbert tilts his cap, so we can't see his eyes.

"Just help me!"

"I think Ciel can help you with that." Gilbert turns around and I realise that they both think this is some kind of sexual act. That's what I thought it was at first too, so I don't blame them for thinking it.

"She's trying to disinfect my burns, Gilbert!" It doesn't stop me from being annoyed at their inability to understand the situation. Gilbert turns back to us. He and Kanon have the same look of realisation on their faces as they finally understand the situation.

"Oh!" Kanon is the first to realise. During the confusion, Ciel has actually managed to sneak her hand under me and pull out my other leg. I realise it only just before she tries to strap it onto the bed and pull it away from her quickly, and painfully. I grunt as the pain shoots up my leg. "Well, disinfecting a burn is a good place to start." Kanon takes notice of the bottle of disinfectant near Ciel as she and Gilbert walk up to us.

"Kanon… no…" It seems as though Kanon has the same line of thought that Ciel has as she readies the strap while Ciel tries to take my leg again. I keep it firmly under me though. I wondered why Ciel didn't speak up about the situation. Did she know that Kanon would agree with her?

"Sorry, Cedrick." Gilbert speaks up as he places a hand on my forehead and pushes me to lie down on the bed. "It's either this or risk losing your legs." Gilbert has also betrayed me.

"Keep him still." I see Kanon with the bottle in her hand and she threatens to pour it onto the leg that has already been strapped to the bed.

"Oh, fuck me." I can't help but utter in depression as I realise that I am heavily outnumbered and that there is no way to get out of this. Knowing that I've given up, Ciel takes my other leg and straps it to the bed too.

"You shouldn't swear, Cedrick." Kanon tries to reprimand me.

"In this situation, you're going to hear a lot more than that." I may have given up and allowed them to use the disinfectant, but that doesn't mean it won't hurt any less.

"You may want to use this." Kanon hands Gilbert some sort of instrument who places it into my mouth. "You can bite on that if it hurts."

"For fucks sake! You're not making this any easier for me!" I complain at the situation. I don't get to say much in the matter as the moment I finish speaking, Kanon begins using the disinfectant.

"FUCK!" The sudden pain makes my body tremble. The pain is possibly even worse than when I was dealt these burns. The instrument put into my mouth was dropped just seconds later as Kanon continues applying the disinfectant. Tears threaten to fall from my face at the unbearable pain. "SILKYS ARE MY WORST FUCKING ENEMY NOW! WHEN I SEE ONE, I'M PUTTING IT INTO THE GROUND WITH ONE HIT! THEY'RE FUCKING AWFUL!" The profanities uncontrollably continue, even after the disinfectant has been applied to both legs. "For fuck sake, man!" The pain continues but is something I can deal with now.

"Now, we just need to your legs up." Kanon speaks up and confuses me. "By tomorrow, your Bias Factor should have helped to heal your legs considerably. You'll be battle-ready by tomorrow, Instructor." She explains as she wraps up one of my legs while Ciel does the other, having already removed the binds from my hands and legs.

"You'll probably have to stay the night here." Ciel informs me and I don't really have the energy to complain. I'm already pretty tired from the missions we did earlier, and all of that pain really didn't help me to regain that energy.

"I realised." I simply state and prepare myself for a long night ahead of me.


	118. Chapter 118 - Romeo's Blood Power

Chapter 118

DISCLAIMER: I DO NOT OWN THE GOD EATER FRANCHISE HOWEVER I DO OWN MY OC.

Also, please leave a review!

Name: Cedrick Esparza  
Gender: Male  
Hairstyle: Style 7 (Dark Brown)

God Arc: Kurogane Blade C (Long Blade), F-BF Shot (Blast Gun), Kurogane Tower C (Tower Shield)  
Blood Art: Fatal Riser IV

The next day, my legs had mostly recovered from the burns and I was able to leave the Infirmary. Once I did so, I was informed by Fran that Licca wanted to speak to my unit and me. I gathered them together and we went to the God Arc storage vault where Licca was waiting.

"Welcome back!" Licca happily greets us, being the first time we've seen her since the mission yesterday. "So, were the God Arcs functioning all right out there?" She asks us curiously. I would respond, but I'm curious as to why she wanted to talk to us, and in front of Romeo's God Arc no less. Is this something to do with how his Blood Power activated yesterday?

"Not quite. They just stopped working for a little while. What happened?" Gilbert responds in my stead.

"When the Aragami horde turned away, it seemed like everyone's God Arcs stopped working." Dr. Soma explains from beside Licca.

"Rumour has it there was a power outage over the entire Branch." Ciel chips in. I wasn't aware of the rumour before now.

"In a manner of speaking." Dr. Soma confirms the rumour before continuing, "All Oracle Cells in a wide range shut down temporarily."

"Something emitted a blast that froze every Oracle Cell in the immediate vicinity. Anything that runs on them went down in a flash." Licca expands on Dr. Soma's words. "A few Aragami just crumbled when the blast hit them. Their cells necrotised and they were just… gone. The origin point of the blast was right here." Licca turns her head to point to Romeo's God Arc. So, she's saying that Romeo's Blood Power was emitted from his God Arc and that caused a wide spread Oracle shut down that repelled the Aragami too? How is that possible? "The only conclusion we've been able to com up with is that somehow Romeo's Blood Power activated to save you." Now that Licca mentions it, Romeo did save us. I feel slightly warmer inside knowing that he did save us. He's still watching over us.

"Romeo's… Power." Ciel seems equally as stunned as I am, but I can tell she also feels his love for all of us.

"I so totally knew it was! It had to be Romeo!" Nana chips in happily.

"Then you all felt the same power?" Licca asks us in surprise.

"Yeah. It was the same one we sensed when Romeo died and Julius came back with him in his arms." Gilbert looks down to the ground, clearly still feeling the effects of Romeo not being here. Not just him though, Julius isn't here either. That will change soon though. We're definitely going to bring Julius back. We'll do what we couldn't do for Romeo and save him. "I could never forget that feeling."

"Romeo's God Arc has been dormant since he… died…" Licca tries to delicately approach the topic. "We've been trying to access it, but to no avail. Then all of a sudden this happens… You all unleashed your Blood Power in that Battle. That might have caused some Resonance with whatever power remained."

"You mean his God Arc is still working?" Ciel asks in surprise and I can't help but be surprised myself. I thought the Arc dies when the wielder dies, until it becomes someone else's God Arc.

"It may sound strange, but it's almost better to say _still alive_. It's gone dormant against, but there is power there."

"Still alive…" Ciel repeats in confusion as well as surprise.

"A God Arc is essentially a man-made Aragami. It lives, it breathes, keeping pace along with its wielder." Licca confirms my prior thoughts. With that explanation, surely there's no way that Romeo's God Arc is still active, right? But then, that would explain why Romeo's Blood Power was activated. "There is a chance, however small, that Romeo's soul still lives on inside his God Arc."

"Really?" I spoke up before I realised I did, the hope in my voice was clear to hear. Maybe that's why Licca seemed to sadden.

"But I… I have no option but to seal it away. It's dormant now, but if it awakens again, it could lash out." As much as her words sadden me, they're probably for the best. We would hate to be in the middle of a really important task just for Romeo's Blood Power to activate. "Another unseen power outage would be a catastrophe."

"I'm sad to say, but she's right. Romeo's power to repel Oracle activity is dangerous at best. It could be fatal at worst." Soma continues her explanation. "I swear I will continue to study his God Arc." He looks me in the eye. "I may need your help in the future. I know I can always count on you." With these being the final words said in the matter, we set about our day as usual. I ended up completing a mission and barely felt the effects of my healing burns. Still, that doesn't stop others from worrying about them. Even Livie had grown conscious of my injuries but I quickly dismissed her worry while we were on the mission. After the mission finished, I went back to the Infirmary upon Kanon's request to change the bandages. As they were unwrapped, we saw that they were healing nicely. So, Kanon informed me that my legs will have healed completely by tomorrow and that I'd only need to wear bandages for one more day. Thus, when tomorrow arrived, I ditched my bandages. However, almost instantly after I did, Fran informed me, through the comms, that I was needed back in the God Arc storage vault. At first, I thought someone had noticed that I had ditched the bandages and was going to scold me, but after hearing where I was expected to go, I realised that maybe Dr. Soma needed my help. Thus, I went straight there.

"We have news about the Spiral Tree." Dr. Soma speaks up as soon as I arrive. Director Feldman, Licca and Livie also being present. "A tempest made of activated Oracle Cells prevents us from getting anywhere near the inside." It isn't good news. "Just as before, if Blood can't find a way to do it, then no one can."

"Great. More pressure on my unit and I." I say jokingly, making sure to wear a smile on my face as I do so just to let others know that I'm joking.

"Agreed. None of our control devices have nearly enough capacity to stop the storm." Feldman speaks up, seemingly disregarding my joke. He turns to Licca. "Could we harness the force you suggested in your report concerning the recent power outage?" It takes a few seconds before I realise what he means.

"You mean Romeo's Blood Power? Potentially, I guess. It may be able to deactivate the storm cells." Licca explains. So, maybe I was right in thinking that Feldman plans on having Livie control Romeo's Arc. It would be similar process to when she was getting used to Julius' God Arc, right? I just need to spend some time with her to make sure she can use it. "There's still so much we don't know about Blood Power. Who knows if we'll be able to control it?"

"Who knows indeed…" Feldman puts a hand to his chin as he speculates. "This is owed more consideration then. Thank you for your help, Doctor." He expresses his thanks before leaving the room. I notice Livie head out to follow him, seemingly with something on her mind. I turn to Dr. Soma and Licca who merely shrug their shoulders.

"Director." I hear Livie speak up outside of the room we're in. I decide not to leave the room so that I can eavesdrop on their conversation; I place an ear to the door and hold a finger to my lips so that Soma and Licca don't say anything. "I… I have something to say, if I may speak freely."

"Hmm…" Even through the door, I can hear his contemplative hum. "It's the only way, isn't it? I didn't want to put you in that position." I suddenly can't hear anything else but the movement of their feet away from the door.

"I didn't know eavesdropping was a hobby of yours." I hear Soma speak up with a smile on his face. I turn to them and see a similar smile on Licca's face.

"I just didn't want to interrupt. It seemed like an important talk." I reply.

"Really? Did you hear anything then?" Licca responds this time.

"I only heard enough to reinforce my thoughts; it seems as though Livie may attempt to use Romeo's God Arc in a similar way that she did with Julius'."

"There's no way…" Licca, surprisingly, sounds shocked at my words and I look at her in confusion.

"I'm sure you've noticed," Soma begins speaking up, a sombre look on his face, "but having interacted with multiple God Arcs in such a short space of time is very damaging to her health…"

"If she reacts with another one," Licca continues, "there's a high chance that she may go out of control." She informs me of what happens and I know what they mean only seconds after their explanation.

"There's a higher chance she'll become infected?" I repeat what they were saying.

"If not that, then she'll be very unstable. She could break at any minute." Licca protests against the decision.

"From what I heard, it seems as though Director Feldman knows this is the only possible way we can continue our investigations into the Spiral Tree. However, it was Livie that suggested it. Feldman must already know the risks involved…"

"If that's the case, then it's Livie's choice if she wants to use Romeo's God Arc." Soma gives me a knowing look and I give him one in return. I can tell that he wants me to keep an eye on her. I turn to Licca to see a similar look. "Remember, if Blood can't do it then no one can. This may be our only option in saving Julius and stopping the Devouring Apocalypse." I give a sharp nod of my head, showing that I agree with Soma before I decide to leave the room. I guess I'll end up hearing more as time goes on. Surely, Livie will have to inform me before she decides to use Romeo's God Arc… Just to let me know of the Intelligence Centre's plans, as well as to get my permission to use Romeo's God Arc. Livie seems like a polite person, so I hope she asks me for my permission to use it at least. At the end of the day, she's going to need to let me know. My Blood Power is beneficial for her to successfully control Romeo's Blood Power; the Intelligence Centre know that too…

A/N: A bit of a shorter chapter, but it really only serves to get the less important bits out of the way. Sorry, guys.


	119. Chapter 119 - Feldman apologises

Chapter 119

DISCLAIMER: I DO NOT OWN THE GOD EATER FRANCHISE HOWEVER I DO OWN MY OC.

Also, please leave a review!

Name: Cedrick Esparza  
Gender: Male  
Hairstyle: Style 7 (Dark Brown)

God Arc: Kurogane Blade C (Long Blade), F-BF Shot (Blast Gun), Kurogane Tower C (Tower Shield)  
Blood Art: Fatal Riser IV

The next day, after defeating a Chrome Gawain at the Valley of Blue Ice, Livie and I were ordered to make an appearance in the meeting room. Once we arrived there, we noticed that we were not the only people that needed to be present. Along with Director Feldman, Dr. Leah and Director Sakaki, Kota, Lindow, Soma and Tatsumi were also present.

"First, I must beg your forgiveness." Director Feldman begins speaking after a short moment of silence as I began to wonder why we were all called here. "These catastrophes that have befallen us all may be lain at my feet. I apologise." He scans the room to look at every one of us present to further emphasise how apologetic he truly is before delivering a bow to put the icing on the cake. "Still, there is a chance to fix matters. I cannot do it alone." He stops bowing and resumes his usual stance. "I'll need each and every one of you." I look around and see the others nod their heads, I do the same. "You have my thanks." He then takes his usual commanding tone as he continues, "To begin, we must verify all we know. Dr. Rachel managed to deceive Kujo. She asked him to bind the emeth device into the tree." The emeth device? Is that the proper name for those control devices? Well, you learn something new every day. "The device awakened her. Now her will holds both Julius and the Spiral Tree in her sway." I grit my teeth as Director Feldman mentions this. I know that Dr. Rachel won't allow any harm to come to Julius, but if it is necessary for him to be harmed for her to continue with her plans then he most likely will be hurt in some way. "Once more she aims to unleash the Apocalypse. Unless we can rescue Julius, she will succeed. And that brings us to our plan of attack. Please, observe." On the large screen behind him, a familiar image showing a red silhouette of the Spiral Tree appears littered with annotations such as "ACNS01". I assume that these relate to control devices. "As before, we will carve out a path and secure it with the control devices." Feldman confirms my line of thought. "Our main obstacle is the constant vortex of active Oracle Cells that guard the entrances. We believe we can use the same power that forced the Aragami mass retreat… to get past." Feldman also confirms that Livie is going to be using Romeo's God Arc to try and master his Blood Power. "The Resonance from Romeo's God Arc attenuates Oracle Cells. It can even slay weaker Aragami. Using the power bound up in his God Arc, we'll dissipate the Oracle Cells and enter the tree."

"We have no control over Romeo's God Arc." Soma is quick to refute the idea. "His power can't tell the difference between Aragami Oracle Cells and our God Arcs'."

"Livie does have control, or rather, she can." Feldman replies calmly, seemingly expecting the question. "In time she can bond with his God Arc and gain some measure of command over it. What say you, Director Sakaki?" He turns his head towards the man he addressed.

"All of Blood will serve as a support unit for Corporal Livie so she can give her complete focus to controlling Romeo's God Arc." Director Sakaki turns to me as he speaks. "Cedrick, as with Julius' Arc, your Evoke skill may help her to draw forth some latent powers. I want you to stay by her side every waking moment."

"Well, I don't think I'm going to be by her side 24/7," I inform him with a nervous chuckle, "but I definitely will for missions and around the Den. Just, y'know, not when I'm not needed..."

"We will range into the tree, find the source of Rachel's will, and eradicate it. Once our mission is complete, we will find a way to save Julius. Only he can stop the Apocalyspe. Any questions?" Director Feldman takes the lead in speaking again.

"About Romeo's Blood Power…" I begin, unsure exactly of what to say. Is it even possible for Livie to control it so that it only shuts down Aragami Oracle Cells and not God Arc Oracle Cells?

"Romeo's Blood Power repels Oracle Cells. It shuts them down." Dr. Soma speaks up, seemingly to answer my question.

"It affects anything with Oracle Cells, right? So, God Arcs and Bias Factors are just as vulnerable." Kota speaks up too.

"Precisely. God Eaters are not exempt. It is a perfect double-edged blade." Soma explains. "If we're to stand any chance at all, it is with Livie holding some measure of control over his God Arc."

"That's all I needed to know." I confirm with the group and shut up.

"A few final matters to attend to…" Feldman begins speaking again. "We need far more than Fenrir Intelligence. HQ, the Far East, and Cradle… all are necessary." I suppose that's why he needed Lindow and Tatsumi to be present for this briefing then. "We'll need outriders in the tree, a secure base camp, and reliable supply lines. What say you?"

"Cradle is well-versed in building satellite bases, that should serve." Soma answers him in a fully cooperative tone. It seems strange to think that he was against the idea of Fenrir HQ interfering in the Far East's matters a while ago. "Later on we'll have Alisa meet with the old man to figure out the details."

"We're facing a threat unlike any before. Thank you for all you've done." Feldman wraps up the briefing and dismisses up.

"It feels like every threat we face is greater than the previous ones." I can't help but mutter under my breath before I turn to Livie. "I guess we'll be going on some more missions together." I give her a smile and try to seem welcoming. I know that she's not exactly expressive, but I have had enough time with her to understand quite a lot of her emotions. Right now though, I can't really guess what she's feeling. I'm getting waves of anticipation from her, but I won't know until we go on a mission and see how she battles.

"Yes, we should start immediately." Livie replies with the tone she uses all of the time. "Meet me on the roof in two hours. That should give me enough time to get used to Romeo's God Arc." She starts walking away from me.

"Actually, Livie…" She stops as I speak up. "I was kinda thinking that Blood should watch as you become accustom to Romeo's God Arc… Y'know, it's the only thing we have that reminds us of him…" I explain nervously while trying to keep the sadness out of my voice.

"Very well," Director Feldman speaks up from behind me. "We can allow it." At his words, I almost jump for joy, but the whole situation gives me a somber feeling.

"I'll gather up the unit." I comment and start walking away. Before I manage to leave the meeting room, Feldman informs me that we should meet in the room that overlooks the Training Room. This is because we can no longer use Friar since it was swallowed by the Spiral Tree. I give him a nod and head out to find my unit.

A/N: Another short chapter, but there isn't a lot that happens at the moment. Quite honestly, I'm thinking about skipping over the whole ordeal of Livie getting accustom to Romeo's God Arc simply because it's just missions and missions without much dialogue between them. It would pretty much just be the same thing I did when Livie was getting used to Julius' God Arc. So, don't be surprised if I suddenly skip a few days ahead in the next chapter. Of course, even if I do, I will mention what happened in those few days.

Also, just to address one thing; at the beginning of this fanfic, I expected to have Ciel and Cedrick become a pair much earlier than I have done. I think the reason that they're not together yet is because I don't really know how to write love-dovey scenes with them. Besides, I don't think Ciel is the type of woman to suddenly become very affectionate after getting together with Cedrick so they'll probably act the same way with each other when in public and more affectionate in private… I already know when I'm going to put them together, and I'm sure you'll know when it will be in the chapters leading up to it too.


	120. Chapter 120 - Livie WIA

Chapter 120

DISCLAIMER: I DO NOT OWN THE GOD EATER FRANCHISE HOWEVER I DO OWN MY OC.

Also, please leave a review!

Name: Cedrick Esparza  
Gender: Male  
Hairstyle: Style 7 (Dark Brown)

God Arc: Kurogane Blade C (Long Blade), F-BF Shot (Blast Gun), Kurogane Tower C (Tower Shield)  
Blood Art: Fatal Riser IV

It took a couple of days, but Livie had finally passed the God Arc control tests in simulation and is ready to head to the Spiral Tree; her exact words. Thus, without delay, we had headed to the Spiral Tree and during the course of the next couple of days, we were able to clear out the mid-layer of it. Alisa and Cradle were also able to construct a base camp in the mid-layer along with a supply route. Those days weren't without their hardships though. We had numerous missions with multiple parts. Due to the Aragamis' sheer ferocity, there was no way we would be able to clear them all out in one go. There were numerous Arc Aberrant Aragami running rampant inside the mid-layer as well which include Ontavasaras; the Arc Aberrant version of Ukonvasara, as well as a few Yaksha Tivras; the Arc Aberrant version of Yaksha Raja. The most surprising mission would be that against the God Arc Soldier Zero; the Aragami that Doctor Rachel created. Thinking back on that mission, it makes sense that we would see it. After all, the Spiral Tree is under Dr. Rachel's control. We can probably expect to see it again at some point. However, we weren't just stuck with missions inside the Spiral Tree, we also had to face numerous Aragami outside of it such as a Fallen Kongou and a Borg Camlann in the Abandoned City…

Havinh just returned from a mission pitting me unit and I against a Garm and a Chi-You, Fran informs us that Director Sakaki wanted to speak with us. We immediately headed to his office. I imagine that we all have different emotions running through us. Right now, the emotion running through me is dread. Director Sakaki hasn't asked to speak with us in a very long time; since before the Intelligence Centre arrived. So, whatever the reason he called us into his office must be a serious one, and that is what I dread.

"Sorry for asking you to come here." He speaks up with a sombre look on his face with a voice to match it. Just the sight of the man is filling me with even more dread. Director Sakaki usually has a wide smile when talking, maybe it's to comfort people as he speaks, thus, without his trademark smile the situation seems a lot more intense. "I'd like to discuss the Spiral Tree contamination… and Julius." He adds the name of our former captain almost as an afterthought. "Now… where shall I start…?"

"How about the Tree's contamination?" I suggest a starting point for him.

"Well, the search of the mid-layer is almost complete, and we've found the contamination is stronger higher up." It was to be expected, but Director Sakaki confirms our expectations. "If we plot this on a curve, we can estimate that the level of contamination in the upper layer is quite serious. It's likely that Dr. Rachel's will, searching for the singularity, has moved upward in its search."

"You mentioned Julius." Gilbert speaks up, "Is there any more news about him?"

"We're out of clues." Director Sakaki has a regretful tone. "Ever since Operation Gateway's failure, we can barely even pick up Julius' signal. However, the evidence suggests that he is likely somewhere in the Spiral Tree's upper layer."

"What is your conclusion, Director Sakaki?" It's Ciel's turn to speak now with a slight amount of hope in her voice.

"The contamination from Dr. Rachel's will is spreading higher and higher, towards where I believe the Singularity is located. Julius is likely either currently weakened by the contamination or is already coming under its control. It's even possible that Dr. Rachel will take the core from Julius and become the Singularity herself…" I never expected that to be an outcome, but Director Sakaki must have thought for a long time about all of Dr. Rachel's possible moves so that we can play around them. "If that is the case, Julius would no longer be needed for the Devouring Apocalypse and could potentially be saved… Still, if Dr. Rachel manages to achieve the Apocalypse, the entire world will meet its end anyway."

"It's simple then." Gilbert suddenly speaks up and I see a smile on his face.

"Hm?" Intrigued, Director Sakaki waits for Gilbert to continue.

"In other words, we just need to beat Dr. Rachel to stop the Apocalypse —then we can bring Julius back." I can't help but smile at Gilbert's words. He's right. We've had to fight Dr. Rachel before and we can do it again. This time, we'll make sure to bring Julius back with us.

"Well… that's no more than a theory at this point, but…"

"I won't give up. I don't plan on making the same mistake twice. No matter what." Gilbert is quick to interrupt Sakaki. "Right, Captain?" He turns to me.

"Gilbert is right. We will defeat Dr. Rachel and save Julius." I answer confidently.

"Yes, that may be true. I would prefer that you prioritised stabilising the tree over savin Julius, but… You are the ones putting your lives on the line. I… leave the final judgement to you." Director Sakaki relinquishes his hope on us saving the Spiral Tree. However, it was never my intention to stabilise the Spiral Tree. It was never my unit's intention either. All we want is to save Julius, that is our primary objective, and it seems as though we need to defeat Dr. Rachel to do it. So, that's what must be done. "I won't stand in your way anymore. After all, you never give up, always doggedly clinging to hope." As he speaks, a smile begins to make its way back onto his face. "I've seen people like you bring about miracles time and time again." With that said, he dismisses us from his office. Before we leave though, I inform my unit that they can take a 30-minute break before we need to go back to the Spiral Tree.

God Arc: Gold Fin Edge (Long Blade), F-SD Launcher (Blast Gun), Kurogane Tower C (Tower Shield)  
Blood Art: IE Mk4: Detonate

As it turns out, that 30-minute break was perfect as not only did I upgrade my God Arc, but a pathway to the upper layer of the Spiral Tree was discovered. The discoverer, Kanon, was the person to inform me about it, so my Unit, Livie and I headed towards this pathway since we won't be able to progress any further without Livie repelling the Oracle Storm that appears. She quickly does so and we begin wandering into the upper layer.

"So cool…!" Nana exclaims and I have to agree with her. It has a similar layout to the previous layers, only this one seems a lot lighter. The trees and ground are a dirty white but that only adds to the beauty of the land. Perhaps what is even more beautiful is how we can see the clouds pass by through an opening in the Tree. That's probably something we should be concerned about too. I'm not exactly great with heights but I can tolerate them.

"It is rather wondrous. It's difficult to tell in here, but e should be almost halfway up the tree." Ciel speaks her amazement before turning to the quieter one in the original quartet. She takes a look at his face before calling him out, "Gil, are you all right?"

"Huh? No, I'm fine. Really… Fine." He stammers out in a panic. "Just… hehe… not so big on heights." He clutches his cap and brings it further down his face in an attempt to hide from his embarrassment. I can't help but smile at the sight. It isn't often that Gilbert is embarrassed.

"Really? Wow, Gil." Nana seems to think the same as she gives a little chuckle at his nervousness. "Huh?" Nana suddenly gives out a confused and surprised sound. "What's that singing?" Singing? What singing? I don't hear anything… Wait… I'm beginning to hear something. It sounds almost like water flowing through a pipe. I can't hear any singing though. Regardless, the thing that sounds like water flowing through a pipe increases in volume, until finally I realise what Nana means by singing. It's too late for us to react though as a swarm of black butterflies rise from the ground. Livie's gasps as they come rushing towards us as we all protect our faces from them.

"No… No way!" Gilbert exclaims in shock.

"I… I can't see anything!" The panic in Nana's voice can easily be heard.

"Stay alert! Everyone…!" Ciel commands. I swear that he acts more like a Captain than I do most of the time. I raise my head just in time to see the black butterflies fly into the sky above us. Eventually, they completely fill my vision and form a dark, cloudy atmosphere.

0-0-0-0-0

"Ah, it's you." A voice rings from the terrain I am in. I look around to try and identify the voice. However, in the process, I realise that my team isn't with me. For a brief moment, I begin to panic; my breathing becomes slightly more erratic. "Tell me, why have you come to this place?" The voice continues and it doesn't take me long to identify who the voice belongs to… and where it comes from… Almost uncontrollably, I swing my Arc around and aim it at the person whose voice fills the air around me.

"Rachel!" In front of me stands the person whose will controls the Spiral Tree. The person who created Blood and had us serve under her. She's still dressed in the same black, mourning wear. The only differences I can identify with her current form and that of her original form is that she now no longer suffers from her disability and her eye colour is now a dark red. It is almost as if she knows that she is the bad guy in this world and has changed her eye colour to match what is iconic to a lot of villains.

"Hehe!" She humorously chuckles. Her voice rings in my head as she does. To think that the person who was a lot like a mother to me has ended up bringing so much destruction into the world. I wonder how I fell for her attempts of playing with each and every member of Blood. I was depended too much on her when I first became a God Eater, and because of that I was blinded and couldn't see her to who she truly was. "That's some greeting for an old friend. So, why don't you answer me this time? Why have you come to this place?" I can hear the venom hanging from every word as she piles more and more disdain into them.

"Don't you think that's obvious, Rachel! Why else would we come here?!" She's beginning to piss me off now, and I'm not sure how much longer I can keep my anger from getting the best of me.

"It seems to me that you abandoned my Julius here." What? "You left him to tend to your Spiral Tree, forgotten in your _sacred land_."

"We never abandoned him! We couldn't rescue him at the time!" I shout back, placing an equal amount of poison in my words too. I hate this bitch in front of me so much. My hands are beginning to shake in anger. I desperately want to shut her up right here right now, but I know it won't be that easy to rescue Julius. We need to defeat Rachel to take Julius back. So, it seems obvious that the person in front of me isn't the real Rachel. It's just a projection created by those black butterflies that still have me surrounded. Whatever I try to do to her will not harm her. Thus, my only option here is to use my words. Maybe there's a way I can convince Rachel to hand Julius over…

"You claim to care for him, but you let him linger here. If you didn't truly wish to part with him, you should have told him long ago. Perhaps you should have spoken your mind when poor Romeo was offered up." She retorts, surprising me about the mentioning of Romeo's name that my grip on my God Arc weakens slightly; forcibly lowering it. Images of the last time I saw Romeo alive as well as hypothetical images of what may have happened to Romeo appear in my mind. "Alas, if only you'd gone with him. If you'd only gone to his aid, then, maybe, innocent Romeo would not have fallen so." She's really beginning to piss me off. She's trying to manipulate me; trying to manipulate my mind by voicing my thoughts from so long ago. I had wondered if things would have remained the same if I had helped Julius and Romeo, and now Rachel's trying to use this against me. "Maybe then Julius would not have contracted the black plague, would not have coughed up his blood and burned his skin with scars." Images of the last time I saw Julius replay in my head, the final image being his goodbye with his back to me and a hand in the air as he walked off to fight endless Aragami. "What of the day when he came to you with shadows upon his eyes and told you he would leave your little family? If you'd done more to stop him them, maybe he'd not have been alone in the Spiral Tree. With the ghosts of Aragami slain arrayed against him." Every word she speaks strikes the right chord to me. To an extent, she is right. If only I had done more for Romeo and Julius, they may not have been forced to follow down these paths; Romeo's death and Julius leaving, they may not have happened. However, I've already come to terms with my guilt over these events. These events have made me grow into what I am today, and I won't make those mistakes again! "I tested you, tested humanity. Even if I hadn't, you would still face the same fire!" God, she's really beginning to piss me off. "Fools. Beyond fools. You have fated yourselves to burn. For every challenge you have faced, you have failed. Time and time again you could have turned to me. And yet, naught but silence…" As she speaks, I notice an array of black butterflies flying in a veil of purple smoke as they drift from about three metres to my side and continue drifting behind me. They merge with another set of butterflies. "You were given one last chance! One final opportunity to cleanse this world in peace. And you were still. You waited. So now, once more… Tell me true, why have you come to this place?" As she speaks the butterflies lash out towards me in a concentrated beam of sorts. I easily avoid the beam of butterflies with a spin before angrily shouting,

"Fuck negotiating!" as I deliver a slash of my Arc to Rachel. She instantly dissipates into numerous black butterflies.

"Hahaha!" Rachel's laughter only infuriates me more as I try to pinpoint where she will appear next, if she will appear next. "You are ever defiant. Ah, my little warrior. So, you have resolved to bring Julius back, have you? Will such a simple thing save this world? To resurrect your mistake?" Again, every word of hers strikes a chord within me. This time though, instead of striking my guilt emotion, they strike my anger emotion. I'm already aware that the black butterflies have created her behind me, now I just to wait for my time to strike. "Very well, my children. Your hand is dealt, and fate stands ready. If you desire to take him, you are more than welcome to try. Yet know this," I can hear her footsteps as she approaches me, "tearing free Singularity from my Devouring Apocalypse will bring a terrible wrath. It will drown you in conflagration. And all the while, you ponder. Save you, save your allies in Blood… does anyone else truly wish to see Julius returned to your world?"

"Of course they do!" I slash at her again, swinging my body around for more power only to meet the same fate. My attack doesn't connect as she dissipates once more.

"Hahaha!" I hear her laughing evilly as my vision turns white. I close my eyes to block out the sudden lack of colour. When I reopen them, I see that I'm standing back in the upper layer of the Spiral Tree.

0-0-0-0-0

"Captain? Captain, are you okay?" I turn to my left to see Ciel regarding me with a worried look on her face. I give a firm nod to confirm it to her, although I'm still pretty pissed at Rachel. The next time I see her, she won't get away without at least becoming crippled again. In fact, I'm so pissed off that I can't even relish in the fact that Ciel is worrying for me again.

"Look, there! It's…" Gilbert shouts up as we look in the same direction he was. The black butterflies still fly around us. This time though, a quick bright, white light forces us to turn our attention away for a second. The next time we look at the light, we only see an Aragami standing there. An Aragami that we never wished to see again.

"Is that…?" Nana speaks up in shock and surprise. It only takes me a second or two to realise but it isn't what we thought it was.

"No, it's not him. It's another Arc Aberrant." I inform Nana and the rest of the crew. It looks very similar to the "World Opener" as it has been called that we had to fight when trying to rescue Julius the first time in a God Arc Soldier Storage Warehouse. This time though, the monster has a skull mask over its face as well as long blades replacing Julius' floating swords. It has a black and red colour scheme as well; just another difference compared to Julius' Aragami form.

"GRAAA" With a roar, it prepares for a battle. We ready our God Arcs and also prepare for one.

Before the Aragami can prepare an attack, I manage to land a couple of slashes on its blades. Similarly, the others manage to land a few hits as well. I try to slash at the blades again but the rise into the air and above the monster's head as they spin rapidly.

"Ah!" Livie screams as an orb shoots from the spinning blades and is shot straight at her. I decide to deploy my shield to avoid the possibility of an orb being shot at me. However, it was all for naught though as not one orb was sent in my direction. The Aragami's blades come to a stop and float behind its back again which is when I continue slashing at them. A couple of seconds go by before the blades move again, this time they move more erratically and within a five-metre radius of it. Deploying my shield, the blades scrape off of it and I continue attacking. Livie, who has since recovered from the attack, charges a devour. She waits until the blades have come to a complete stop before she unleashes the devour; managing to extract a few Aragami bullets in the process. It tries the same attack again, so we repeat our moves too; devouring and attacking the Aragami once an opening can be found. Before it can attack again, I jump and swing my God Arc to land an attack on its head. Stepping back several metres, I set up a paralysis trap. The Aragami charges forwards, but not towards the paralysis trap. Instead, it charges at Nana who is about ten metres opposite me. I change my Arc to Gun Form and try firing at the beast to make it change direction. Although I deal a fair amount of damage, the monster doesn't switch direction and seems to form an offensive stance.

"Deploy your shield, Nana!" I shout and she does exactly that. Thankfully, because of her shield, she takes no damage when the beast charges at her. Gilbert and I try running to help her but we're sent flying backwards a few metres as a lot of black slash marks appear in the air. "Wait, did its blades do that?" I can't help but wonder to myself as I brush off the minimal damage I suffered from the attack. It seems that when the monster concentrates, it can move its blades at a very fast pace. "Nana!" I shout to grab her attention, "Bring the Aragami towards my paralysis trap!" It takes a couple of minutes of us all coaxing the monster but it eventually triggers the trap. In those couple of minutes, the five of us dealt a large amount of damage to the monster. The paralysis trap proves to be the resting place of this Aragami as it falls to the ground. We don't let this opportunity escape us as we quickly devour its core as well as some materials.

Despite defeating the Aragami, I can now clearly hear the music that Nana was talking about before the battle.

"Hey, what the hell?!" Gilbert shouts in confusion.

"You felt it too? That Aragami's Resonance… I'm certain I know it…" Ciel chips in and now that they mention it, I remember feeling something unusual and yet familiar from that Aragami.

"Yeah… it felt almost like the Captain's Blood Power." Nana comments. Julius' Blood Power? I haven't felt that in so long. Is it possible…

"Hold tight!" Ciel shouts as the ground begins lightly shaking from beneath us. Black butterflies still roam the area but don't prove much of a threat.

"Look… What are those things?" Gilbert asks as he directs our attention towards some of the black butterflies that seem stuck to a tree. Almost as soon as we look, a purple mist erupts from the opening that the black butterflies seemed stuck to and it forces us to deploy our shields.

"Such force… Everyone… Hold fast!" Ciel commands as we all struggle to hold our shields in front of us. Each of us grunt and moan as the flow of purple mist only seems to grow stronger by the second. Despite this, Livie pushes forwards; closer to the source of the mist. "Livie?!" Ciel only notices Livie as she passes by. She continues pushing forwards, Romeo's God Arc leading the way to the source. However, she only reaches so far before the mist become too powerful and begins pushing her back.

"Please… we need it now." We hear her words through her grunts. "Grant me the power… Romeo!" It's only after I hear her shout Romeo's name that I realise she's trying to activate his Blood Power. It worked earlier today, but she still hasn't mastered his Blood Power. It is possible that she might fail this time… Somehow, Livie manages to activate Romeo's Blood Power again and the purple mist disappears completely. She turns towards us without her shield deployed, showing us that it's okay to drop them. We all do so, but as soon as we do purple spikes protrude through Livie's right arm and she drops Romeo's God Arc to the ground as she grunts in pain.

"This must be…" Licca had warned me about this, and I'm sure she warned everyone else.

"AHHH!" Livie's blood curdling scream is enough to bring me out of my thoughts, it's also enough to make Livie lose consciousness.

"Livie?!" Nana shouts in concern as she rushes to her side.

"Captain, we need to fall back to the branch immediately." Ciel informs me and I nod firmly in agreement. "Nana, can you take hold of Livie? She'll need our help." It amazes me how Ciel can stay calm in a situation like this.

"Got her!" Nana shouts in response as she attempts to pick Livie up.

"Gil, cover our retreat. The last thing we need is an ambush." Ciel commands in a calm, yet hurried tone as she goes to Livie's side. I do the same thing as I pick Livie up and place her on Nana's back.

"On it." He obediently complies.

"Far East Branch, come in! We're falling back to the mouth of the tree with injured. Send an escort team to meet us!" Ciel gets in contact with the Branch as well. I take up position on the opposite side of Gil as Ciel leads the way back down the tree. Nana stands between all of us with the injured Livie on her back. It isn't until we're running back down the tree, and beating away a ton of smaller Aragami that I realise that I have a strong feeling of worry for the unconscious girl. She's beginning to open up, but I bet this recent injury will halt the process of her opening up now. She probably thinks that she can't trust us to protect her after all she did to stop the purple mist from flowing… I guess we'll just have to hope that her injuries aren't serious. After all, it doesn't look like she's been infected, but if she hasn't this means that we'll have to abandon our plan of Livie using Romeo's Blood Power to help us further up the tree. I'm sure that there's another way to proceed…

As soon as we reach the meeting point, we see the escort team ready for us. They quickly strap Livie into a bed and begin administering treatment for her wounds. Although, I doubt they can do much right here as the escort vehicle doesn't look very large. It isn't even large enough for the rest of my unit and I to hop aboard it and ride back to the Far East. I suppose we're lucky that Hibari decided to send a normal helicopter to come and pick us up and take us back to the Far East…

Arriving back at the Far East, we get off of the helicopter and instantly see Director Feldman staring at us.

"Captain, a word." He speaks up before leaving the roof and I can't help the feeling of dread that overcomes me. Regardless, I decide to comply; leaving my teammates to do what they want. They'll probably wait in the waiting room besides the Infirmary so that they can receive the latest news about Livie. As soon as I'm finished getting lectured by Director Feldman, I'll head there too.

I walk into the meeting room and struggle to keep my head held high.

"Can you inform me of what happened?" He speaks up and it takes a few minutes to tell him everything that happened, not missing out a single bit of information. This guy can be scary when he's angry, and I don't want to piss him off more than he should be. Of course, I don't tell him about my meeting with Dr. Rachel, there's no way he would believe any of it. "Thank you for your report, Captain." He speaks up after I finish informing him. His voice doesn't seem to show that he's angry. His face doesn't seem to show that either. If anything, he seems to be more accepting of the situation. That confuses me because I could have sworn he treats Livie like his own daughter. "Do you have a moment to spare? I've been hoping to speak with you." If anything, he only confuses me more because of what he just said.

"They probably won't let Livie have any visitors for a while so, yeah, I do." I inform him, my voice and word choice leading him to believe I have more confidence than I actually do at the minute.

"Has, uh…" For some reason, Director Feldman appears to be nervous. This only makes my confidence grow. "Has Corporal Livie told you anything of her past?"

"I… don't recall her ever saying anything." Now that I think about it, she hasn't told me anything about her past. In fact, she's told me barely anything about her life. I've managed to piece a few things together, but that was just conjecture; it may not have happened how I imagine it too. Maybe… Maybe Livie isn't opening up to me.

"Livie…" He sighs. "She was raised at Magnolia Compass Orphanage by Rachel and Leah." He informs me of her past. With every sentence he speaks, the surprise on my face grows. I never knew of Livie's relation to Rachel. She never even mentioned it. She never even gave any hints that she knew of Rachel's character. There were no hints that she even knew Dr. Leah from a long time ago either. They've interacted now, definitely, but I thought that was only because Leah had been shifted into Director Feldman's management. "You could almost say she was a test run for Julius." He informs me and I realise what he means. The reason that Livie is compatible with any God Arc is because Rachel experimented on her using multiple Bias Factors… "We found out too late that her home for the lost… was only a cover to test Bias Factors adaptation on children." The sadness is clear in his voice, although there is also tints of anger within it; anger with himself for not being able to rescue Livie in time. I guess, Director Feldman is just as human as any of us. Even he feels regret and anger for not being able to save people. He's not just a person that doesn't give a shit about others. He's not like Director Grem. But Rachel tested Bias Factors on all of the children in her orphanage? That's inhumane. "Livie was the first she found that showed any true promise. But Rachel… Rachel named her a failure. Livie could adapt, and well, but not before experiencing violent rejection of the core Bias Factors. Each attempt drew from her very life." Every word he speaks only makes me feel more sadness and pity for the girl I knew so little about. I can see why she kept this a secret from me. "Once Rachel discovered that Julius could adapt with no side effects at all, Livie was discarded. And here I am asking her to continue to sacrifice and bleed… to save Rachel's pet team and her beloved Julius." Although I don't take too kindly to the fact that he called Blood Special Forces, _Rachel's pet team_ , I understand what he's talking about and so, I let it slide. "I wish it weren't so. Livie is logical to a fault. In all my years with her, she's never taken action I could not understand. But I don't know why she fights at your side." Feldman's words to make me feel slightly better that Livie is choosing to fight by my side, but it isn't enough to make me forget the pain and suffering that has been Livie's life. "In the end I suppose it's of little consequence. All that matters… all that I ask, is that you keep her safe." He states, and I've already failed that. She's currently hospitalised and I doubt she'll just be able to brush off her injuries like I did so with my burns. "Thank you, Captain Esparza. That'll be all." Even though he spoke gratefully for me listening to him, I still don't appreciate the way he used my surname like that. Unfortunately though, there's nothing I can do about it. Even if I told him to call me by my forename, or even "Captain Cedrick", his formality wouldn't allow it. Regardless, I have better things to worry about. One of them being a girl that wears a red hood that is currently commissioned as "out of action" or "unable to fight". I leave the meeting room and meet up with my unit and the waiting room of the Infirmary…


	121. Chapter 121 - Livie's sad tale

Chapter 121

DISCLAIMER: I DO NOT OWN THE GOD EATER FRANCHISE HOWEVER I DO OWN MY OC.

Also, please leave a review!

Name: Cedrick Esparza  
Gender: Male  
Hairstyle: Style 7 (Dark Brown)

God Arc: Gold Fin Edge (Long Blade), F-SD Launcher (Blast Gun), Kurogane Tower C (Tower Shield)  
Blood Art: IE Mk4: Detonate III

"I'll join you once I've defeated these bastards!" Finally I am able to take revenge on the Aragami that inflicted my burns. While they may not be exactly the same ones, they are of the same species; Silky. "Just keep your attention on the Aether!" I inform my three teammates; Gilbert, Ciel and Nana. A day has passed since Livie became hospitalised and she is still yet to wake up. Instead of wallowing in depression, the four of us decided it would be better to go on a mission to help us take our mind off of Livie. Of course, Director Feldman didn't want us just sitting around and waiting for Livie to wake up either. He instructed us to prioritise defeating Arc Aberrants since we can no longer make progress in the Spiral Tree without Livie. Hence, my team and I have taken a mission to destroy an Aether that is accompanied by three Silky and two Fallen Zygotes of the Blaze variety in the Infernal Subway. The latter of the listed Aragami we have already defeated. Now, only the Aether and Silky remain; all of which remain unharmed. Just seeing the Silky again made my blood boil and I decided that I would fight them alone while the other three take care of the Aether. Thus, we split up at Point E. I descend the stairs leading to Point J while my teammates head to Point F in the opposite direction.

The first Silky I notice stands exactly between the Points J and K. I decide to store the Oracle in my God Arc before slashing in the air, nowhere near the Aragami, and then rapidly firing a cluster of small bullets that are sent flying in the direction of the first Silky. As the first bullet lands on its head, it turns around in surprise before being met with another twenty or so small bullets that also land directly on its head. My Oracle runs out after that and I observe the work that my Blood Art put in. The Silky is struggling to recover from the attacks and tries to make its escape by running away from me. I don't let it, however, as I sprint towards it and land a couple of solid hits on it. That forces it to stop running away as it turns back towards me. I look to the ground in expectation, and I was right to do so as only a second or two later a pool of blue flames forms at my feet. I easily avoid the pool and step back a couple of more feet. Instead of me going to the Aragami, I'm going to let it come to me. It does so pretty quickly, and I continue slashing at it before being forced to retreat again as another pool of blue flames forms at my feet. I look to the original pool of flames and see that it has split into three balls of fire that head off in different directions. One of them heads towards me but I easily avoid it by stepping to the side. I deliver another slash at the beast as it comes towards me again and, anticlimactically, it falls after that swipe. I devour its materials before moving on to the next Silky.

After the last Silky falls, I rush to help my team with the Aether. When I arrive at their location, I notice the Aether seems to be on its last legs. I slash in the air before activating my Blood Art and fire around two clips worth of Oracle and it which equates to about 40 bullets. It falls after a blunt knock on its head from Nana and she devours its materials.

"Good work team; no injuries." I congratulate them only realising after I had done so what I had said and my team falls silent.

"Blood Special Forces, I have received some good news!" We hear Hibari as she speaks with us through our earpieces. "Livie has regained consciousness." She informs us and I'm sure I can hear the smile on her face as she does so. My eyes shoot wide open in surprise and I look to the rest of my team. They have a similar expression of shock on their faces.

"Really?" Nana is the first to speak up, the hope and happiness clear in her voice.

"We had best get back and visit her, right Captain?" Ciel chips in, a cute smile on her loving face for the temporary member of our unit.

"You got that right." I inform her with a smile of my own before addressing Hibari. "Hibari, send us a helicopter ASAP!" She does so instantly and ten minutes later, the helicopter arrives. We aboard it and head back to the Far East Branch as we eagerly await an encounter with Livie.

As we arrive back at the branch, we instantly head for the Infirmary, passing by Director Feldman and nurse Yae who appear to be in a lengthy discussion; most likely about when she can return to battle. Inside the Infirmary, Livie sits on a bed with her legs hanging from the side. I almost had to double-take to make sure it was Livie because she sits without her signature red hoodie. She looks like a completely different, fragile girl without it.

"Livie!" Nana expresses in pure joy as she bounces over to the bed, sitting down beside the girl and giving her a big hug. Despite this though, Livie appears to look dejected.

"We're glad to see you're okay." Ciel gives Livie her 'get well soon' but does so with only a small smile on her face. She's most likely noticed that Livie doesn't seem to be in the happiest of moods.

"Yeah! It's good to see you're up." Gilbert offers his own 'get well soon' message with a large smile on his face.

"Are you all right?" Having nothing more to add to the messages, I instead opt to ask of her wellbeing. She has only recently woken up after all. Plus, we haven't been informed that she may still be suffering from using Romeo's Blood Power despite not being ready for it.

"Of course…" She begins in a depressed voice. "Director Feldman told you everything."

"Oh." I hadn't expected her to say that. "Yeah, uh… He told me about your history with Rachel and Magnolia Compass." After Director Feldman told me of Livie's past, I had informed my unit about it while we were waiting in the waiting room beside the Infirmary. They were shocked to hear about it, but her tale only seemed to strengthen our bonds with Livie despite her not knowing it. "Well, I suppose it's all as he said. I was raised at Magnolia Compass Orphanage by the Claudius family." Livie confirms that what I heard from Director Feldman was true. "You see, after Julius arrived, Dr. Rachel all but abandoned me." She continues explaining her past with an infectiously sad tone. I'm beginning to feel a little rejected in her place and I'm sure Ciel, Nana and Gilbert feel the same way. "He was the prize. I had only been a failure."

"Hey!" Nana chooses now to speak up with an encouraging tone. "You're not even kind of a failure, and you know it! You're so strong and brave! You're awesome, Livie! C'mon!" Just hearing Nana's words have me feeling better, but I wonder how the person they're addressed to feels after hearing them.

"I'm sorry for the trouble I've caused. I wasn't trying to hide my past." It appears that Nana's word haven't reached Livie as she continues in her depressed tone as she looks down to the ground. "I… should have told you. I should have said something. Even if I accepted my lot in life, there was no way to know how you'd feel." She's being considerate of us.

"We understand, Livie." I sense a strong conviction in Ciel's voice as she encourages Livie. "Were we in your place, we may have done the same. Tell me, when you use another's God Arc… does it hurt you?"

"Yes. It does." It takes a second or two for Livie to answer, but when she does her voice is filled with dread; not knowing how we would feel about her admitting such a thing. Seeing her like this does make my heart ache.

"Then we will find another way. It is as simple as that. There's no need to use Romeo's God Arc if it pains you to do so." Ciel reasons with Livie. Quite frankly, I don't see there being any other option but to stop Livie from using Romeo's God Arc. It's clearly taking its toll on her. Who knows what may happen if she continues like this?

"Ciel…" Livie looks up to address the person, surprise in her voice.

"We want to save Julius, more than anything, but we would never abandon another friend to do it. He'd never let us." Ciel informs her, reassuringly. "And if Romeo were alive, and he knew just how dangerous that power was. If he knew it was siphoning your life… He'd do anything he could to protect you. I'm certain of that." Ciel looks down towards the ground too; still unable to talk about Romeo without feeling the same sorrow that we all feel once reminded of his death.

"Yeah, Ciel's right. We'll find another way." Gilbert speaks his mind too.

"There probably is another option. We just need to find it." I decide to join them on their quest to help Livie not have to use Romeo's God Arc again.

"Please, don't misunderstand. I have to fulfil my vow. I… I choose to fulfil my vow." Livie is quick to interject but her voice trails off as she speaks.

"Vow?" Nana tilts her head in confusion and speaks with the same emotion in her voice at Livie's choice of words.

"Yes." Livie turns towards Nana as she speaks. "I made it for a friend, when we were both very small." She then turns to the rest of us. "A promise. I'll never forget it." She looks down to the ground again. "When I was a child, after Julius arrived, I wanted nothing more than to disappear. I'd lived for Doctor Rachel's praise. I did all I could to meet her every expectation. And…" As Livie speaks, I can't help but imagine a younger version of herself, without the signature red hood, as she rests her head on her arm situated on a large, brown table; sitting all by herself; even giving her a longing look as she stares out of a window. "In one instant, the blink of an eye, I lost everything. For the first time, I was ashamed of who I was… More than anything, I wanted to fade away. To close my eyes and be gone. I was alone… again." Livie's voice begins to shake as she speaks.

0-0-0-0-0-0

"Hey… Hey, you guys… Didn't that girl used to be Dr. Rachel's favourite?" One girl within a group of friends speaks up at they stare at a young girl from outside of the classroom through an open door. The young girl in the classroom sits at a large table by herself, her head hanging low.

"Yeah, she was. What's she doing in this class with the other losers?" Another girl from within the group of friends answers her before responding with a question of their own.

"Dr. Rachel found a new favourite." A third girl speaks up with a chuckle. "A new kid named Julius. She's always with him."

"That kinda sucks. You think Dr. Rachel just ditched her?" The second girl speaks up again, feeling some sympathy towards the abandoned girl in the classroom.

"Maybe." The first girl responds, not quite sure of the answer herself.

"Oh… That's really hard." The second girl replies with a sympathetic voice.

"Yeah, but…we should probably keep our distance." The third girl appears to show a bit of sympathy towards the lonely girl but not enough to act on it.

"For sure. We won't want Dr. Rachel to hate us too." The first girl agrees with the third.

"Hey, a new kid in our year?" A male voice joins the three females outside of the classroom.

"Oh, Romeo!" One of the girls shout in surprise at the new addition to the group as the boy peers into the classroom. Having seen enough, he walks into the classroom with a swagger in his step.

"Wait, Romeo. Stop!" He ignores the pleas of the group of girls. "You can't go in the girl's class! You're a boy! Hey! Come back!" He continues to ignore them as he sits himself down directly beside her, staring at the lilac hair of the lonely girl he's become intrigued with.

"Hey. How ya doin'? My name's Romeo Leoni. What's yours?" The boy introduced himself to the lonely girl who choose to ignore him, opting to stare out of the window; the opposite direction of the boy. "Wow… you're real quiet, huh? Good for you. You just gotta tell me your name, that's all. Super easy right?" Romeo isn't one to give up as he persists in trying to get the girl to respond to him. A couple of seconds go by in silence before Romeo breaks it. "Pleeease… Pleeeease…" He begins to sound a bit more desperate with every plea. "Hellloooo? Hello?" With this last hello, the girl turns her head away from her window; viewing the boy out of the corner of her eye before resting her head on her hands; one bandaged and one not.

"Go away." The girl says plainly, not bothering to sugarcoat her words.

"Hey, it worked!" Romeo bounces on the spot in excitement, a huge smile tugging the corners of his mouth upwards. "Wow, you got a super cool voice. So… what's your name?" The boy continues to try and get the girl to speak her name. However, the girl merely slumps her shoulders forward before turning her head to look out of the window again.

0-0-0-0-0-0

"At first, he was just annoying. I still wanted to disappear." Livie continues her story with the same sadness in her voice. Hearing it from the horse's mouth is definitely more emotion-packed than hearing Director Feldman's version of it. I can't help but feel pity for the girl in front of me. More than that though. I feel very sympathetic for what she had to go through. I know how it feels to suddenly have a great life one moment and then lose it in the next moment; if I hadn't gotten too close to that Ogretail numerous years ago, would my parents' have still been alive? "But that could never stop Romeo." She chuckles slightly as she reminisces. "He was always talking to me… He never learned." I can just imagine Romeo trying to start up a conversation with Livie every time he saw her, whether it be in a classroom or in the corridors.

0-0-0-0-0-0

"Romeo's at it again." Girl number one sighs as they watch Romeo's attempts to talk to the lilac-haired girl in the classroom. "Maybe he'll figure out that she doesn't want to talk to him."

"Whatever. He's probably just got a stupid crush on her or something." Girl number two hypothesises Romeo's reasoning for chatting to the lonely girl in the classroom.

"Really? But… that's just how he is with everyone." Girl three responds in surprise.

"Hm… I guess so. Most people like him because he's super nice, but she doesn't seem to." Girl one speaks up as the group continue eavesdropping on the pair in the classroom. Romeo attempts to quickly get a look at the lilac-haired girl's face but she anticipates it and quickly moves her head to stop Romeo from seeing her face. When Romeo gets up to stand in front of the window that the lilac-haired girl is staring out of, she turns her head in the opposite direction.

"Wait a second! Didn't you say you thought he was cuuute?" Girl two speaks up to work up her friend.

"N-No!" She's quick to deny it. "Who'd say that about stupid Romeo?! I don't think he's cute!"

"Huh?" Romeo utters in confusion and turns towards the group of girls watching from outside of the classroom. "Did someone just call for me?"

"No! Sh-Shut up!" Girl one quickly tries to hide her embarrassment with the classic tsundere act.

"Okay, I guess." The boy turns away from the girls and continues his attempts to get the lilac-haired girl to open up to him. "Anyways… Wait, what were we talking about again?"

" _We_ weren't talking about anything!" The girl he is speaking to turns her head towards him as she speaks with an annoyed tone.

"Hey, you said something! Score!" Romeo celebrates his achievement which only makes the girl beside him groan in annoyance.

"Just leave me alone, okay?! I can't believe you're this annoying! Stop bugging me. Stop being nice to me. Stop acting like you care!" The girl finally cracks; the pressure has built up far too much and she serves it to Romeo. She turns away from the boy to continue staring out of the window.

"…No." The boy responds in the same upbeat voice he has been talking with in every interaction with the girl.

"Maybe you didn't hear me." The girl responds, clearly not wanting anything to do with Romeo.

"Nope. I heard. Look… You need to stop thinking you're the only one with problems." He informs her plainly. This forces the lilac-haired girl to spin her head towards him in anger as she speaks,

"What do you…" She cuts herself off.

"You know Cain?" Romeo continues. "He sits right next to me in class. He saw his brother die when an Aragami attacked his satellite base. It still hurts." The change in Romeo's voice can be clearly heard by the girl he is speaking to. It has changed from upbeat to one of sadness. "And Charlotte, she's new here, she lost her parents in an earthquake just last year. But she still tries to make the others feel welcome. "We all have to start over from nothing. We have to build new lives. It's not easy, I mean, we're just kids after all, but everyone's trying. Except for you…" He informs her in the most considerate way he can.

"What do you know, huh?!" She snaps again, slamming her fists down on the table and getting up close to his face. "Nothing! Nothing at all! You don't know anything about me!" She slams her fists on the table again. The anger seems to be radiating from her but that doesn't stop Romeo.

"Exactly! I don't know anything about you. So please… Tell me. Whatever you want to. You don't have to tell me all at once. Just a little every day." Romeo responds in his kind, upbeat voice. This serves as the breaking point for the lilac-haired maiden as she drops her head into her hands and begins to sob. Romeo pats her back comfortingly as hear tears don't relent.

0-0-0-0-0-0

"I had failed Dr. Rachel. Failed myself. My world was in ruins. But, you know Romeo. He doesn't give up. Every day I'd shove him away, and every day he would fight back." Livie continues telling her tale and as she does so, I can imagine a younger version of her and a younger version of Romeo trying all sorts of things to get Livie to speak more. "Right then, I made a promise to Romeo. I'd try my best to open up. Every day, a little more. And I made a promise to myself. I swore to do anything in my power to help my best friend… The true strength of Romeo's Blood Power isn't to repel things." She comments after finishing informing us of her past. "It's more like his heart. That gift he had to turn even stubborn enemies into best friends." The sadness in her voice has long since disappeared, instead a reminiscent happiness fills its place. "I pushed him away so much, and every day he would come back." She looks to her hand as she continues speaking. "His power is like him. Kind and gentle." She lifts her head up so I can see her face and see the earnest smile that tugs at her lips.

"Li.. Livie!" Nana utters emotionally, trying her best to hold back the tears. Seconds later though, she can no longer hold them back as she pounces on Livie and takes the girl into her grasp, crying on the shoulder of our Corporal. Livie merely chuckles slightly before raising an arm to stroke the crying girl's head. I can't help but let a tear or two run down my face either. Her past… Romeo's past… and even seeing Nana cry as heavily as she is tears down my emotionally defensive walls as the tears drop from my face. I quickly wipe them though and blink rapidly so that no more will threaten to fall.

"You're all so like him. I can see why he loved you. Thank you for worrying about me." She speaks up with a small smile and the three of us that are standing give her one back as well as nods of our heads. Nana's cries begin to quiet down as she relinquishes her hold on Livie. Livie also moves her arm away from Nana as her comforting job is complete. Nana keeps an arm on Livie's back to return the favour as Livie continues speaking, "This is why I will adapt to his God Arc. Why I will suffer to do so. I'll proudly fight in Romeo's stead… to protect those he held dear." She gives us another nod. "I made a promise to Romeo, and one to myself. Those words will always be with me."

"Livie… We'll help you fulfil the, Livie. That is our promise." Ciel steps confidently towards the girl whose name she mentioned, extending a hand out to her.

"Thank you… so much." Livie's voice is filled with gratitude as she looks into the face of Ciel. Livie grasps Ciel's hand and they shake them to confirm the deal. It's hard to believe that there was a time where Ciel wasn't this affectionate with other people. To openly stand and offer her hand to others was something she seemed incapable of when we first met. Now though, she can do it greatly and she even appeals to the emotions of the person she does it with. She's come a long way since we've first met. My heart jumps into my throat as my thoughts linger on Ciel. I need to confess again at some point, but it can't be right now. But, if I wait too long then she might be taken from me… What would I ever do if that were the case?


	122. Chapter 122 - Are they dead?

Chapter 122

DISCLAIMER: I DO NOT OWN THE GOD EATER FRANCHISE HOWEVER I DO OWN MY OC.

Also, please leave a review!

Name: Cedrick Esparza  
Gender: Male  
Hairstyle: Style 7 (Dark Brown)

God Arc: Gold Fin Edge (Long Blade), F-SD Launcher (Blast Gun), Kurogane Tower C (Tower Shield)  
Blood Art: IE Mk4: Detonate III

It took another two days before we were able to investigate the Spiral Tree again. Livie was able to participate in battles the day beforehand, but Ciel suggested we take part in an easier mission to ease Livie into fighting again. So, we did just that and fought one Dyaus Pita along with numerous other small Aragami such as Zygotes and Fallen Zygotes. After analysing Livie's performance, I thought that she hadn't lost her ability to battle and so, the day after (meaning today), we decided to continue investigating the Spiral Tree. We're currently equipped for a long day's work in the Spiral Tree having a lot of supplies and such in order to clear out the upper layer, or at least make progress on clearing out the upper layer of Aragami. I highly doubt we'll be able to do that in one day after all.

The five of us continue exploring the Spiral Tree as if Livie hadn't been injured; we're making up for lost time. As we walk into the area now named 'Bridge of Divine Selection' we notice a couple of Aragami in the area. More specifically, a Marduk and a Yaksha. The sight of the Garm-variant makes me shiver in displeasure; most likely due to the fact that this species is one of the reasons why Romeo is no longer with us.

"We should focus our attention on the Yaksha first." Ciel speaks up as she notices the Aragami separating itself from the Marduk.

"She's right." Livie voices her opinion in a matter of fact voice. "If we engage the Marduk, the Yaksha will hear the battle and come charging in anyway. It's better for us to try and fight them separately."

"That's probably the best option, yeah." Gilbert decides to chip in as well.

"It sounds like a plan then." Nana looks at me with expecting eyes.

"It sounds like one indeed. Let's go." Hearing the opinions of my team, I decide that it's best to follow their opinion since we all think the same. We sneak around the closer, larger Aragami so that we have clear access to the humanoid Aragami.

As we approach the Aragami who has since moved a considerable distance away from the Marduk, we notice that we'll be unable to land a surprise attack due to the fact that it is facing in our direction. It has walked into a dead end and has turned around. There's no where for it to go now.

"Strike now!" I shout to my team and we rush towards the Yaksha, roaring and baring its claws as Nana, Gilbert, Livie and I launch Melee attacks while Ciel supports us from a distance. Nana jumps and swings her hammer-like Arc against its head, delivering a large amount of crushing damage. Gilbert targets its paldrons while Livie and I try to force it to stumble by attacking its legs. This continues despite the number of times we're forced to back off due to an attack or catch up due to its escape. The Yaksha soon falls under disastrous attacks from the five of us and we turn our attention to the Marduk about two minutes away from our position…

This time, we do manage to secure a surprise hit. My Arc, as well as Livie's and Nana's, connects with its hind legs while Gilbert's Arc pierces the Marduk's torso. Instead of roaring in surprise, like every Aragami before it, the beast backflips away from us before jumping almost on top of us. I only just manage to avoid damage by deploying my shield, Gilbert isn't as the shockwave from the beast's sudden landing sweeps him off of his feet. He deploys his shield to avoid a barrage of flames that is sent his way while Nana smashes the beast's torso with her hammer-like Arc. Ciel fires a recovery bullet at Gilbert as he gets back to his feet.

"Alright, you bastard, prepare to die!" Gilbert charges towards the beast as he activates his Blood Ability to power himself and the rest of us up. I choose now to back off, slash the air and then activate my Blood Art to send a swarm of bullets into the armour of the quadrupedal monster. All of them land and do a fair bit of damage with each bullet; breaking its left front leg bond in the process. Ciel charges in to capitalise on the unbound leg, changing her Arc to Melee Form while I stay on the backlines and provide support to my team; firing multiple restore bullets with added benefits such as attack boosts or defence boosts.

It only takes a few more minutes before the Marduk falls to the ground. Gilbert extracts its core, probably as a form of revenge for having stumbled due to the Aragami's shockwave when it landed previously.

"A Demiurge and Fallen Quadriga are moving to your position! They're here earlier than I expected! I'm so sorry!" Hibari announces in sadness and hopes we forgive her as we don't have a moment to breathe as the Aragami she mentioned land on the battlefield. Only one of them has noticed us though; the Demiurge. Thus, we decide to attack it first.

After defeating the Demiurge, Hibari informs us that a Spartacus and an Ontovasara are approaching our positions and will arrive in five minutes. This only gave us just enough time to defeat the Fallen Quadriga, so when the new Aragami arrived we, again, didn't have a breather. Similiarly, after defeating those Aragami, two Yaksha Tivra and a Yan Zhi popped up without warning and we had to quickly destroy them as well.

It took a long time, but finally, we had bested the Yan Zhi and the two Yaksha Tivra. What I failed to notice while engaged in the battle with them though was the fact that I can hear music playing; the same music that we could hear moments before the Einherjar showed up a few days ago.

"I can hear the beat of those black butterfly's wins…" Gilbert speaks up, indirectly informing me that I'm not the only one that can hear them and I'm not just being paranoid.

"So…" Nana speaks up as she quickens her pace to lead our pack. "I don't hate bugs or anything, but those ones… They really freak me out for some reason." She continues, turning towards us and thus walking backwards, and almost seems to shiver as she speaks. "Why do they walk… like… that…" She looks to the ground. "Huh?" She gives a panicked yell and I look to the ground below us instantly. The ground seems to be glowing white which easily shows the location of a lot of black butterflies on the ground. "Guys… What are they doing?" She looks up with a panicked expression on her face before the black butterflies rise from the ground at an unprecedented pace.

"Nana!" I shout as the girl somehow falls through the solid ground. She's not alone though as moments later, Gilbert and Ciel also disappear through the ground. It's almost as though we've stepped on a portal. "Gilbert! Ciel!" I can hear the panic in my voice, but I'm forced to look away as the black butterflies' wings start up a whirlwind. Looking down, I notice that the ground that Livie and I are standing on is not glowing white and neither do black butterflies occupy it. The moment the whirlwind is over, I look around for the missing members of my team. I notice Livie turn to look at me, I have no idea why, but I march forward as I inspect the area wherein my team disappeared. Within a few steps, I no longer feel the ground beneath half of my left foot and I look down. A metallic taste rests on my tongue as my chest tightens and I breathe erratically to try and fill them. My legs feel as though they weigh five times as much as they actually do, and I crumple to the ground; unable to speak a word as I stare mindlessly into the gaping depths of the crevasse in front of me. It's endless, filled with blackness with no light being emitted from within it and thus not allowing me to see into its depths very clearly. Is it possible that Rachel summoned those Black Butterflies to create the illusion of solid ground where in reality there was nothing there? Did Rachel intentionally mislead us into thinking we were walking on solid ground in the hopes that she could kill us and thus not mess with her plan to unleash the Devouring Apocalypse? Are Ciel and the others… dead? There's no way they could survive a fall like that!

"Ciel! Nana! Gilbert!" I shout into the depths of the crevasse and hope that someone answers me. My eyes grow damp as I receive no response back. "Ciel! Answer me!" I shout at the top of my voice; using all of the volume I can muster which makes my voice sound more like a growl than a shout. "Ciel!" The tears now flow down my face as she doesn't answer me. The love of my life doesn't respond to me. All of the time we've spent together now feels wasted… We could have had so much more… "Ciel!" I feel a hand on my shoulder, but that doesn't stop me from shouting and hoping someone will answer me. "Na-" My voice cuts off due to a lump in my throat, and as I stop shouting, I realise that Livie has been trying to talk to me.

"… back to the Branch and mobilise a search party. There's no time to lose. Hibari says that they're still alive." Livie's ability to stay calm in this situation inspires me and I quickly wipe the tears from my cheeks. However, I'm pretty sure that hearing that they are still alive gave me more confidence than anything else.

It isn't until we're almost back at the Far East branch, and thus have had time to calm myself down and think clearly, that I realise what most likely happened. Rachel summoned me so that she could talk to me a few days ago. She tried to make me join her side, but when I refused, she tried to make my mental health deteriorate. Rachel will probably try to use the same tactic against Ciel, Nana and Gilbert. They're still alive… but the next time I see Rachel, she'll be glad she doesn't have a physical form. If it was possible, I would use Blood Rage to cut her up into little, tiny pieces and hand feed her diced remains to the closest Aragami… I'm never going to forgive Rachel for this…


	123. Chapter 123 - Dealing with grief

Chapter 123

DISCLAIMER: I DO NOT OWN THE GOD EATER FRANCHISE HOWEVER I DO OWN MY OC.

Also, please leave a review!

Name: Cedrick Esparza  
Gender: Male  
Hairstyle: Style 7 (Dark Brown)

God Arc: Gold Fin Edge (Long Blade), F-SD Launcher (Blast Gun), Kurogane Tower C (Tower Shield)  
Blood Art: IE Mk4: Detonate III

On my bed I lay, surrounded in darkness as I stare at my ceiling. The sunlight from the day has long since ended and only moonlight enters my bedroom, allowing me to examine the details of my bare white ceiling. I've tried countless times to let my exhaustion overtake me, to allow myself to fall to my fatigue, to sleep and escape from the real world, but I am unable to. My thoughts constantly drift back to my teammates who disappeared as we were on our way back down the Spiral Tree. I know they're alive, my brain tells me that they are as their signals were picked up on Hibari's high tech equipment. My heart however betrays the information I already know. I long to see them again and my heart pains in a familiar longing I had really wanted to forget. Gilbert, Nana and Ciel are alive, and I know where they are; or rather, who they're with. I don't know their exact location, but I imagine that what happened with me just before Livie was injured is what is happening to my teammates now. They're all with Dr. Rachel. That is the thing that scares me the most. In the Spiral Tree, Rachel has complete control over her environment. She can create a perfect world for them within the Spiral Tree in an attempt to stop us from preventing the Devouring Apocalypse. I'm 90% sure that this is the case.

After returning to the Den without my teammates, Livie was almost forced to drag me into a meeting with Director Feldman as we discussed our next steps. Of course, finding my teammates became the priority and Feldman sent out several scouting units while Livie and I recover. Although, I'm probably the person that has to recover the most. Reflecting back on my actions when with me unit, I realise that recently I've taken them all for granted. I've become accustom to seeing them in my life all the time that I would wake up the next morning expecting to see them again. As soon as the meeting was over, Livie stuck by my side for the rest of the day. I'm pretty sure that she decided to stay with me so that I wouldn't break down. Maybe she realised that without a familiar face, I would have thought that I had lost her too. To my unit and I, she's pretty much become an honorary member. Even when she eventually leaves us, she will always be an honorary member. I am thankful that she decided to stay by me for today; it saved me from a lot of hassle. After I had broken down in front of Livie back at the Spiral Tree, I became so very embarrassed because of it. Thus, I tried not to wear my emotions on my sleeve and it brought questionable glances my way. Livie was able to quell them though. It wasn't until I entered my room that I let my emotions spill once more and as I did, I laid down on my bed, bringing me to where I am now.

I twist and turn my body so that I am lying on my left side, my eyes closed, my left arm under my pillow and letting my head rest on my right hand as I try, once again, to let my tiredness overcome me. What feels like an hour or two later, which is probably only five or ten minutes later, and multiple rotations, I give up on trying to sleep and slowly pick myself up from my bed, careful not to make myself feel lightheaded by getting up too quickly. My feet drag across the floor as I walk towards the door. I extend a tired arm towards the lock and unlock my door before moving my hand to grab the door handle. I sigh heavily before taking an equally heavy breath and opening my door. I need to keep up appearances. As far as most other people know, I haven't let this situation get to me. It couldn't be any farther from the truth. Rather than letting my feet continue to drag across the floor, I make a visible effort to lift them off of the ground and add to the appearance of being unaffected by the situation. I wouldn't want someone to question my leadership abilities or skills, I know that leaders aren't supposed to display negative emotions; especially me since I know so many of the God Eaters here and have helped a lot of them with earning their Blood Arts or Blood Bullets. As my feet carry me towards the lift, I realise that I had no clear thought of where I was going. That doesn't stop me though and I let my feet continue taking me farther away from my bedroom and my unit's quarters as it feels eerie to be the only one present in there; a whole area of the branch to myself.

A few minutes later, I find myself on the roof; or rather, I find most of my body on the roof. My feet hang over the edge of the rooftop as I sit on the ground in a lightly lit area. I never noticed before, but the branch seems to have very few lights on the roof. Thus, only a small area around me is illuminated by the light sources available. In fact, I'm sure only the left part of my head and torso is illuminated by it. Regardless, my feet still move as if I were still walking, not yet realising that I have sat down and will no longer be able to move unless I stand back up. My feet haven't taken me to the best of areas for sightseeing as the only thing I can see is the view of the Outer Ghetto and the Anti-Aragami Wall. I'm sure that if I had rotated my body 90o in either direction then I would have had a much better view for sightseeing. I'm too fatigued to do that though and keep staring into the darkness of the Outer Ghetto. I've never known the area to be so quiet and empty at night. A lot of the people here are most likely asleep, but even the people that aren't are not making any noise. There's no parties or anything of the sort. The quiet is nice, but for the first time in a very long time, I wish it wasn't quiet.

Time passes unbearably slowly, there's no sign at all the night is turning to day. There's no sign at all to say that time is even passing. It is as if I am stuck in time as my mind constantly thinks about my teammates; dead and alive. It feels as though an extra hour has been added to the day wherein every living person becomes motionless as coffins rise up from the ground and lovingly ensnare everyone to protect them from the night – It's deathly silent, and it is slowly but surely driving me crazy. The scouting teams are still yet to provide any information about the whereabouts of my missing crew members. I'm aware that I'm just frustrated at the lack of information and my mind associates the silence of the night along with it. I desperately want to shout to make some sort of noise, to reassure myself that I'm not lost in my own mind and can start time back up again. Thankfully though, the sound of a helicopter brings me out of my thoughts. I look towards the source of the sound to see it still quite some distance away from the branch; its destination. Somewhere in my mind, I know that this helicopter probably carries back the members of the scouting team, but that doesn't stop me from hoping that it is carrying three of the people missing from my heart. I track the helicopter as it comes to a stop a safe thirty metres away from me, the lights from it only just fail to reach me; keeping me trapped in the darkness around me. My heart jumps as the sudden sound of the helicopter door opening fills me full of hope. However, upon hearing voices that I'm not accustom to, I let myself collapse; I now lie on my back and the light no longer give away my position. I keep an ear open as I try to hear if they've found any sign of my crew.

"… well what did you expect? We were only given the command to start searching for them about ten hours ago." One of the men speaks up, leading his crew to the lift. Hearing this, I audibly sigh, only realising afterwards that it was louder than I had hoped it would be. However, the group of scouters seemed not to have heard it, or just disregard it. Honestly, it doesn't give me much hope of these guys finding any sign of my lost teammates; if they didn't hear me, they probably wouldn't hear Ciel, Nana or Gilbert calling for help. I close my eyes, only now realising that I haven't brought my eyepatch, as I hope to hear a bit more information.

"Yeah, I suppose so. I just hope that Director Feldman doesn't expect us to have found anything yet." A woman speaks up in response. Her tone makes me think that she was the one to originally start the conversation. I decide to no longer focus on listening to them. It's clear they have no new information for me. Instead, I focus on trying to conceal my presence. It probably isn't needed, given how they were unable to hear my audible sigh, but it is better to be safe than sorry. Strangely, it has grown much darker than before. I hear multiple footsteps as the scouting team enter the lift. I don't hear the lift moving though.

"Hey, Kanon! You coming?" At the mention of my student's name, my eyes shoot open only to lock onto the figure before me.

"I think I'll stay here for a while." I see her lips move but no sound comes out. Like a dear caught in headlights, I'm too scared to move.

"Okay then, I guess that's your choice." The same person that made me aware that Kanon was with the scouting team replies to her as I hear the lift finally move downwards. It's only now that I realise what has happened and what Kanon must have said before; she plans to stay here.

"You should probably become the leader of that scouting squad." It's the only thing I can think to say as I get over the initial shock while Kanon decides to break off the staring contest and sit down beside me. I decide to move backwards so that I'm level with her since she must be uncomfortable with letting her legs lean over the edge of the roof.

"Why do you think that?" She asks with an inquisitive glance to me before lying on her back and looking to the night sky. I keep my gaze on her though; more intrigued as to why she would join me than watching the night sky with her.

"You were the only one to notice me. What was it by the way?" I ask curiously, "Did you hear my sigh?"

"Yep!" She smiles cutely. "Got it in one!" She lets the smile drop from her face before she continues speaking. "As soon as I heard a sigh, I knew it belonged to you."

"Really? That's uh…" Quite frankly, I'm scared that she can recognise me due to a sigh.

"Oh!" She looks at me with a luring glance, "I'm probably not the only one that can recognise you like that though." Her words make me raise an eyebrow in visible confusion, suggesting to her to continue speaking. "You used to sigh so often before this whole thing with the Intelligence Centre. I'd be surprised if a lot of people didn't recognise you by your sigh."

"That's bad. I don't want to be known as the guy whose sigh can get him recognised."

"Hey, that almost rhymed!" She smiles at me before returning her gaze back to the starry sky above.

"Wait so, did your friends in the scouting squad recognise me?"

"Probably not. I guess I should have clarified. A lot of God Eaters probably know you by your sigh. Oh, and Director Sakaki too." She clarifies.

"That's great." I sigh, realising straight after that I sighed. I decide to collapse again and watch the night sky with her.

A few minutes of silence passes by. For some reason, time seems to be flowing again. Maybe it's because I have company now?

"You're worried about them, I know." Kanon speaks suddenly and I turn towards her. She keeps her eyes set on the sky. "I mean, seeing you half-naked and without your eyepatch is a clear indicator that you're worried." She informs me, and I quickly sit up, looking at my body to realise that I don't have a shirt on. "I don't remember seeing that scar though." I know instantly which scar she is talking about. It must be the only one that will never fade from my body. After all, it was a pretty serious injury. As the initial surprise wears off, I concede to my original position lying down and watching the night sky. This time however, I opt to close my left eye – my fake eye. I'm a lot more comfortable with people seeing my half-naked body than that disgrace of an eye.

"Remember when Romeo died?" I don't wait for a reply and continue regardless. "I tried to get Nana back into the fighting spirit by taking her out on a mission. She wasn't feeling up to it though and in my haste, I wasn't equipped to fight that Borg Camlann that appeared. My life would have been over then if Nana hadn't come to her senses."

"And here we are again. I find you sulking on the rooftop again, just like the last time."

"Hey, to be fair, I had a reason to be sulking then. I had been rejected by the love of my life." I try to reason with her.

"You still love her then." Instead of replying to her, I choose to remain silent. Whether I had answered or not would still give the same response anyway. "You speak about Ciel, Nana and Gilbert with a smile on your face. I know that you miss them, I know how you feel." She takes a breath as she continues talking and I'm almost positive that I heard a hiccup as she took a deep breath. "The difference is, you'll get to see them again very soon. I have to wait a few more weeks before I can see the one I love."

"Your boyfriend is finally coming home?" I sit up and look at her. She smiles while a few tears run down her face; tears of happiness. My Blood Unit and I have been here for many months and in that time, I've never once seen Kanon's boyfriend show up in the Far East Branch. I know that her boyfriend was the former captain of the 1st Unit, and that he now belongs to Cradle, but that's all I know.

"Yeah." She speaks in confirmation and more tears flow from her eyes. I place a hand on her head as she lets loose her tears. No matter who, I don't like to see a woman cry. She jumps as my hand makes contact with her hair and I stroke her head, but she doesn't bat me away.

"I'm happy for you, Kanon." I give her my first true smile since my teammates disappeared. "I hope you'll introduce me to him."

"Of course! I'll have to tell him how you've been helping me train, Instructor." It feels really weird for her to still call me _Instructor_ despite all of the conversations we've had that no teacher-student relationship is likely to share, but I dismiss the feeling. A few more seconds pass by before I take my hand away from her hair and she rubs her eyes to remove the tears and trails they have left behind.

"Thank you, Kanon." I speak as I stand up with the same smile on my face.

"Huh?" She sits up at my movement.

"I needed this talk." I turn away from her and look towards the Spiral Tree. "I'm going to find my team, and I hope to find them soon. So, thank you, Kanon. You've given the inspiration to continue looking forward." I give her one last smile before leaving her on the rooftop as I enter the lift and press the button to take me back to Blood's Quarters. Kanon was so honest with me, and that warms my heart. I haven't heard her speak like that about her boyfriend in a long time and I can't help but think that I want the same thing with Ciel; maybe it can do without the long-distance though. As the lift moves downwards, I continue speaking, making sure that Kanon won't be able to hear me before I do so, "I fear that we may not have a few weeks left on Earth if Rachel succeeds in bringing about the Devouring Apocalypse; I don't want your last memory of your boyfriend to have unknowingly been created long ago, Kanon. For the same reason, if we fail to stop the Devouring Apocalypse, I don't want to die with the regret of not having asked Ciel out for a second time."


	124. Chapter 124 - Flower of Scotland

Chapter 124

DISCLAIMER: I DO NOT OWN THE GOD EATER FRANCHISE HOWEVER I DO OWN MY OC.

Also, please leave a review!

Name: Cedrick Esparza  
Gender: Male  
Hairstyle: Style 7 (Dark Brown)

God Arc: Gold Fin Edge (Long Blade), F-SD Launcher (Blast Gun), Kurogane Tower C (Tower Shield)  
Blood Art: IE Mk4: Detonate III

The rest of the night passed by soundly as I was able to get a decent night's sleep. It was a good job too as only two hours after I had awoken, I received information that Gilbert's signal had once again appeared on Hibari's complicated equipment. This also came with information from a scouting squad informing us of the approximate location of Gilbert. Thus, Livie and I prepared our equipment and I also thought to prepare a few sandwiches for my missing teammate. He's probably starving since he hasn't been able to eat since yesterday. I've already accepted that Ciel and Nana are not with him since their signals have not appeared in the same area, thus I only brought enough food for him. As Livie and I boarded the helicopter, we strangely found Lindow to be waiting for us in there where he told us that he was joining us on the rescuing of Gilbert. Honestly, I'm glad to have someone else to help us find him, especially a person of his calibre. His joining also gives me an incentive to not overreact when I find Gilbert. Thus, we headed to the Spiral Tree, or more specifically the Bridge of Divine Selection.

Immediately upon reaching the Bridge of Divine Selection, we are met with resistance. A Corrosive Hannibal, a Borg Camlann and multiple Silky block further progression into area. It doesn't even take any words between us to already decide our targets. I have personal history with Silkys, so I decide to take on the three of them while Livie fights the Borg Camlann and Lindow takes on the Corrosive Hannibal.

The Silkys are no match for me, even when they're together as I don't hold anything back to destroy the Aragami species which had previously burned my legs. However, Livie and Lindow still haven't defeated their targets yet and while I extract the cores of the three Silky, I contemplate on who I should help. Lindow and Livie are very strong and very much capable of defeating their targets by themselves, but they each have their faults. For instance, while I've heard the rumour about Lindow being able to defeat an Ouroboros by himself, which I've learned isn't that hard to do if you have a good plan as well as a bit of luck, he doesn't have a Blood Art. He also doesn't have the ability to switch his God Arc into a Gun Form because his Arc doesn't have the ability to do that. Livie, on the other hand, can switch her God Arc into Gun Form but is currently training her Blood Art that she can use with Romeo's God Arc. For this reason, I decide to help Lindow.

I run closer towards Lindow's position and switch my Arc to Gun Form. I can already see that he is having a little bit of difficulty in trying to defeat the Corrosive Hannibal, but who wouldn't have difficulty in defeating a large beast by themselves? I shoot a couple of healing bullet his way which he thanks me for before I decide to switch my Arc to Melee Form, slash the air and fire a torrent of small bullets into the beast. The last of my bullets makes the beast stumble just before it could try and hit Lindow with its dual-wield weapons. Lindow takes the opportunity to land in a solid blow to the Corrosive Hannibal's back and breaks its bond; allowing for a pair of hologram-like wings to sprout from its back. The beast instantly replies by bringing its limbs closer to itself and rising into the air where it shoots multiple cylindrical shields of energy in all directions. Luckily, Livie and I are at a distance where it can't hit us since I'm supporting Lindow from afar while Livie fights the Borg Camlann quite a distance away from me. Lindow manages to deploy his shield which takes me full brunt of the attacks before he charges towards the Aragami to attack it as it roars; its intimidation tactic fails.

While Lindow continues fighting the Corrosive Hannibal, I turn my attention to Livie and the Borg Camlann. She easily avoids the shockwave created from the Aragami piercing its tail into the ground and attacks its legs in an attempt to make it stumble. I decide to shoot a healing bullet that also increases strength at her to help her. I quickly turn around and do the same thing to Lindow.

It only takes a couple more minutes before both of the Aragami have been defeated.

"Now that we've slain the Aragami, we can begin searching for Gilbert." Livie is the first to speak after the eliminating of the Aragami.

"You're right, he should be somewhere in this area." Lindow answer her before he turns to me. "How does it feel, Captain? We'll find one of your teammates by the end of the day." He gives me an encouraging smile.

"The sooner the better, Lindow." I march forwards and start walking down the left side of the area. "Splitting up would be the best way to search for him. I'll take the left side."

"You got it, Captain." Lindow replies with a determined smile. "I'll head down the middle."

"That leaves me with the right." Livie chips in before they decide to head down their own paths.

Two minutes later, there's been no word from either of my teammates. I shouldn't expect anything to quickly though as I've only travelled about half -way along my path. The others probably have the same problem.

"Guys," As if Lindow could hear my thoughts, he spoke up using his headset to get in contact with Livie and I.

"You found him?" I immediately regret my question as I already know how excited I sound at the possibility of Lindow finding Gilbert.

"Not him, something much taller." He speaks up and I look at the wall that separates the left side of the map from the centre of it. I immediately see what Lindow is talking about when I do so.

"An Ouroboros?" Livie speaks up, seemingly also looking at the beast.

"Yeah, so whenever you're ready, can you help me out?" Lindow replies in a slight panic. I realise now that I could get him to prove that he defeated an Ouroboros single-handedly, but what's the point in doing that? The faster we can defeat that beast, the faster we can resume our search for Gilbert.

"I'm on my way." Livie speaks up and I assume she sprints back down her path and along the centre path. I decide to sprint forwards rather than going backwards, just in case I manage to see Gilbert in the process.

"Me too." I inform them as I run along the path. Meeting up with Livie and Lindow, I see them already engaging the Aragami. Livie targets the monster's arms while Lindow smashes his God Arc against its face. I, once again, provide support for the two of them.

An hour later, the Ouroboros has been defeated as well as a Gboro-Gboro, a Nyx Alpha, three Fallen Ogretails, two Yaksha Tivra, and two Ontovasara. We defeated all of these Aragami while we searched for Gilbert, but we had no luck in doing so. Once again, the three of us decide to split up and scour the area again to look for any signs of him.

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Meanwhile, a man dressed in purple and carrying a God Arc stands in an area that he is yet to identify with a confused expression on his face. Gilbert doesn't lower his God Arc as a black butterfly flies away from him and the sound of a music box plays in the background.

"What the… Where am I?" Gilbert stutters in confusion. One moment he was with the rest of his unit, and the next moment he is where he is now. Another black butterfly flies past his shoulder and he tracks it as the black butterfly flies around him and causes him to turn his body. That's when the butterfly lands on the kneecap of a person that Gilbert is very familiar with.

"Kate? … Kate!" Gilbert rushes over to the woman's side as she sits with her back against a large rock, the only thing keeping her upright. As soon as he gets there though, Kate's figure disperses and a lot of black butterflies leave the spot that her form was occupying. "No, it's…" Gilbert realises immediately what the situation is. With his back turned, Gilbert doesn't realise that the butterflies are once again taking on the form of the woman he has a history with.

"You have to face what's real, Gil." It isn't until the woman speaks up that Gilbert realises that she has appeared again.

"Kate…" He speaks in anguish; pained from the loss of the woman he knew so well.

"All those things Rachel said… I know what she meant now. I know she was right." Kate continues speaking to Gilbert and informs him of his revelation. "If the Devouring Apocalypse rises, God Eaters may disappear, but Aragami disappear too… Take a deep breath and really think about it." Kate tries to convince him to rethink his actions. "Don't you agree it's better to take that risk? To look the end square in the eyes? Instead of living behind walls… like cowards. No other God Eater would know my pain. No one would face the fire of Aragami infection." Kate continues speaking as she walks past Gilbert, coming to a stop only a footstep behind him which causes Gilbert to have to turn his head slightly to keep her in his vision. "Our time has passed; our days are done. But, Gil, we can at least spare the children, can't we? The children that I will never know." Kate continues walking.

"Stop." Gilbert says suddenly and breaks the flow of Kate's words with his pained voice. "You don't know, Kate." His words cause the girl to turn towards Gilbert again. "Maybe in the end, the Devouring Apocalypse really is the only way to heal this world. Maybe… maybe we can't defeat it." He continues in his pained voice, but as he speaks his confidence grows. "But if we just give in, it would devour everything that makes us human. Our hope. It would erase what we've become. It would erase our friends, Julius, Cedrick… everyone." As he speaks, Kate walks closer to him. "And every trace of the God Eaters who gave up so much to protect humanity. Don't they deserve to be remembered? Don't you?" Kate delicately raises a hand to Gilbert's shoulder as he continues. "I can never side with Rachel." His voice wavers as he expresses his belief. Suddenly, Gilbert pushes Kate to the ground where she lands with her back against the large rock from before. As she raises her head, she sees Gilbert extending his God Arc out to her; the tip of it aimed at her throat. "Besides… You're not my Kate. Just a shadow." His confidence has fully returned as he addresses the imposter, tilting his God Arc at the girl who merely bows her head in response. "Rachel… You coward." Knowing that thee jig is up, the girl instantly transforms into the figure of Rachel who raises her head with a knowing smile on her face. Her red eyes stare into Gilbert's as he moves his Arc back, prepared to end her life. "I'll never forgive you!" He jerks his God Arc towards the woman who quickly disperses into a million black butterflies and so does his surroundings.

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"This way. I heard something." Livie speaks up again as she had previously informed Lindow and I about a possible lead on Gilbert's location. "There!" As soon as she speaks up, I follow her gaze and sure enough , Gilbert is there. "Thank goodness Gil's safe." She continues, and I breathe out a relaxed sigh. My relaxation doesn't last for long though as an Aragami spawns in front of Gilbert. I jump down immediately and head to his position. The Aragami reminds me of a Rufus Caligula but it appears to have the same type of charge spear on its head that Gilbert uses.

"Welcome to the party. Just in time." Gilbert speaks up cockily as he notices the three of us running to meet him. I can only smile as I see that Gilbert is safe; knowing to take care of business before I exchange pleasantries and give him some food that he must be craving for. "I'm gonna turn this thing to dust! Come on, fight with me!" Gilbert seems oddly motivated for this fight in particular, but I'm not going to complain. The beast roars as the three of us come to a stop slightly behind Gilbert…

I use my God Arc to slash into the air before firing off all of the small bullets that my Oracle Points meter will allow. My three teammates, meanwhile, decide to target different areas of the beast. Livie targets its back while Gilbert and Lindow target its arms, evading attacks when necessary. Perhaps scarily, Gilbert chuckles as he sees the damage that he inflicts to the beast, clearly taking enjoyment in its suffering. Instead of charging in and filling my OP meter by melee-attacking the beast, I switch my Arc to Gun Form and use all five of my OP ampules and all three of my OP2 ampules, stockpiling the Oracle Points when necessary. I use my newly acquired OP to boost the attack and defence stats of my teammates by firing healing bullets at them. Afterwards, I fire the remaining Oracle Points as bullets straight at the beast's torso, unbinding it in the process. I'm not surprised though, considering it took all of my Oracle Points and my reserves just to unbind the bond. I change my Arc to Melee Form and join in with the battle…

It takes a long while before the beast goes down, and as soon as it does, Gilbert uses his God Arc to extract its core. Meanwhile, I pull out the sandwiches that I brought with me.

"It's good to have you back, Gil." I lightly punch his arm before giving him the sandwiches. "It's been a day since you disappeared, I thought you might be hungry."

"Really? It's been a day?" He looks at me in surprise as he takes the sandwiches from me. Honestly, I've been holding myself back from giving him a hug, so the least I can do is use my knuckles to rub his head painfully as he drops his guard.

"Don't go missing again, okay?" I say while rubbing my knuckles across his head. He pushes me away harshly and I can't help but laugh as I tumble to the ground under the force of his push.

"Yeah, yeah. I hear ya." He speaks up while holding a hand to his head. He looks around while I bring myself back into a standing position. He looks to the sandwiches before looking around again. "Nana isn't with you?" I already know why he asks that, considering the sandwiches I made for him are Nana's specialty since there were no other ingredients that Mutsumi had spare, but I don't get to answer him as Livie speaks up before me,

"Nope, you're the first one we found." She walks closer to Gilbert and the two begin talking, leaving Lindow and I out of the conversation.

"How does it feel to find one of your teammates?" Lindow asks me as Livie and Gilbert start walking back down the Tree. Lindow and I join them at a distance.

"Honestly, it feels great." My relieved smile should tell how I feel really.

"I know that feeling." He continues the conversation, a smile of his own on his face. "Remember when I told you about the Aragami infection?" He lifts his Aragami arm to jog my memory. I nod my head, not wanting to interrupt his flow. "Alisa, Kota, the captain at the time, and my wife came to look for me." He stands still as he reminisces, I stop a short distance away from him, turning towards him. "I thought I was gonna die there for sure. But I'll never forget their efforts in bringing me back. Once I woke up, I was back at the Den with my wife by my side. I felt so relieved that I was back." I can't help but smile as Lindow reminisces. I find it especially funny that Lindow's wife and I were in a similar position; the love of her life is missing, and the love of my life is missing. The only difference is that Lindow would later propose to her. It'd be pretty funny and out of character for Ciel to propose to me, hence why _I_ plan on doing the honours.

"There's still two people missing from my unit though." My words bring him out of his thoughts. He begins walking again as we resume the conversation.

"Nana and Ciel, right? We'll find them." He speaks reassuringly but I don't need his reassurance.

"I know we'll find them. I'm going to be the one to find them; Gilbert, Livie and I will find them. Then we'll be back to being a complete unit." It isn't until after I spoken that I realise my mistake. "Oh, no offence Lindow." It's not that I don't want his help, it's just that I would prefer to find them as a unit.

"Don't worry about it, Cedrick." We continue walking for a little while before Lindow resumes the conversation. "By the way, I'd still like to learn a Blood Art." He rubs the back of his head nervously and I know exactly why. It's not like I can teach him a Blood Art while two of my teammates are missing.

"I know Lindow. I haven't forgotten. Once this whole deal with the Spiral Tree is over; once Julius is back, I can help you learn your Blood Art." I give him the time frame for when I will teach him his Blood Art. Although, at the moment, it seems as though it might be a few weeks yet. We've mostly explored the entirety of the Spiral Tree, but without Ciel and Nana, I don't want to continue exploring.

A/N: Sorry I'm skipping the battle scenes. After you've written quite a few, they just get repetitive. I'm going to try not to skip all of them, but the less interesting ones I'll probably skip like I have done in this chapter and in previous chapters.


	125. Chapter 125 - Unrelenting Anger

Chapter 125

DISCLAIMER: I DO NOT OWN THE GOD EATER FRANCHISE HOWEVER I DO OWN MY OC.

Also, please leave a review!

Name: Cedrick Esparza  
Gender: Male  
Hairstyle: Style 7 (Dark Brown)

God Arc: Gold Fin Edge (Long Blade), F-SD Launcher (Blast Gun), Kurogane Tower C (Tower Shield)  
Blood Art: IE Mk4: Detonate IV

A/N: I apologise for the very late update; I was finally able to escape university and hang out with my family and friends for just over a month and never really found the energy to continue this fanfic or have any time for fanfics in general. However, now that I'm back at university, I should, theoretically, be posting more chapters as I continue using this story as my escape from the real world.

Reaching the Far East Branch, I felt a lot happier than I had previously. I made sure to spend a lot of time with Gilbert, making sure not to let him out of my sight for the fear of him disappearing again. Strangely, after Gil had returned and given his greetings and thanks for searching for him, he returned to working on his God Arc. I have no doubt that he wanted to improve his God Arc with the new materials he obtained from the Aragami we most recently killed, but I didn't expect him to return to work so soon. I thought he'd be more relaxed and take a break. So, I watched him as improved his Arc, occasionally asking questions and making conversations.

As day turned into night, I decided that it would be best if we both got some sleep. I tell Gilbert not to spend too much longer improving his God Arc before I head to my room and lie on my bed with an exhausted sigh. It doesn't take too long before my eyelids begin to feel so heavy that they succumb to gravity and take me into unconsciousness…

It's only six hours later that I find myself waking from my slumber. After rubbing my eyes, I let my eyes drift towards the ceiling. For some reason, I've awoken while it is still dark. Surprised, I look towards my clock to find that it's 6:00. I've definitely woken up earlier than I usually do, and I think I know why. Even if I try to distract myself from the absence of two of my teammates, my heart knows that they are still missing. My chest aches as I yearn to see Ciel and Nana return to the Far East safely. My eyes drift towards the window where my suspicions are confirmed. There is no sunlight; only an insufficient amount of moonlight penetrates the darkness. My eyes return to the ceiling and I lie there for a while before realising that I'm not going to be able to get back to sleep, so I get ready for the day.

"Hi, Instructor!" The enthused voice of Kanon rings through my right ear as she finds me sitting in the lounge enjoying my breakfast. I'm not at all surprised to hear from her, I noticed Kanon as soon as I had entered the lounge but she didn't clock my presence at the time. Or at least, it didn't look as though she did. "Have you heard?" She asks me with a huge smile on her face. I take another bite of the toast that Mutsumi prepared for me, waiting until I've finished chewing it and swallowing it before I engage in Kanon's conversation,

"Heard what?" I reply without a hint of excitement on my face. Having woken up early, I'm in a bit of a bad mood. I move my jaw to take another bite out of my toast.

"We're going on a mission together!" She exclaims happily, stopping me dead in my tracks as conflicting thoughts cross my mind. "I can finally show you how much progress I've made with my training!"

"Did you organise a mission for us to both take part in?" I ask as I turn my head towards her almost dreading the answer.

"No, actually. I guess you really haven't heard." Her wide smile disappears, and a look of confusion replaces it. I assume she's confused about how I haven't heard about our apparent mission.

"As, there you are." Regardless of my and Kanon's confusion, she doesn't have a chance to explain the mission as Livie comes up to the two of us having only just entered the lounge. "I see you've been speaking with Kanon." Livie assumes due to the close proximity of us. It's a logical assumption seeing as how it would be strange to be this close to each other if we weren't engaging in conversation. "Has she explained about our mission?" Livie asks and I now understand what's happening; Livie arranged the mission and something happened to have Kanon tag along with us.

"She was just about to." I inform Livie, the confusion having lifted from my features.

"I see." She looks to Kanon expectedly. I do the same since it is clear that Livie is waiting for Kanon to explain the mission. It takes a couple of seconds of her blank stares between Livie and I before she realises what we're waiting for.

"Oh, right! Well, we will be clearing out the abundance of Aragami that have been spotted in the upper layers of the Spiral Tree." Kanon explains with a hand under her chin as she tries to recall the details of the mission. "Is that right?" She looks to Livie with a slightly nervous expression as she hopes to have hit the main criteria of the mission.

"Yes, that's right. We won't be the only team clearing out the area though. There are multiple other teams that we may run into while we're out there." Livie further explains.

"So, does our team only consist of the three of us?" I ask them as I lift myself up from my seat, giving a thumbs up to Mutsumi as a thank you for the breakfast.

"No, Gil will be joining us." Kanon answers me plainly.

"Okay, great. Let me get ready and I'll meet you all on the roof." I inform them before leaving the lounge and prepping my equipment.

As I finish preparing my items, I am informed by Gilbert that my and the rest of the team's God Arcs have already been loaded onto the helicopter. Thus, with nothing else left to do, I accompany Gilbert as we head to the roof and find our designated helicopter. Inside, we find the two girls already waiting for us.

"We're ready." I speak up as I enter the helicopter and sit down next to Livie. Gilbert takes the remaining seat next to Kanon where the two girls face each other, and the two guys face each other.

"Yep, all set!" Gilbert speaks louder than me to alert the pilot of the helicopter that it is okay to lift off now. He further emphasises our readiness with a couple of loud pats on the helicopter. It is unusual for him to do something like that. Taking a look at his face, but being careful not to stare, I'm sure I can see that he seems slightly happier and more relaxed than he has ever looked before.

"So," I speak up in an attempt to make conversation. "What types of Aragami are we expected to fight?"

"All sorts of types." Kanon speaks up with a smile on her face. "And it's a good job too so that I can show you how effective my bullets are against different Aragami."

"Can I have a more specific answer?" I give Livie a nervous smile as I turn to her.

"A lot of Kongou types were spotted in the middle layers while larger Aragami like Borg Camlanns and Tezcatlipoca were spotted in the upper layers." She answers perfectly and my nervous smile turns to a more confident one. I know I can count on Livie for matters such as these.

"Tezcatlipocas, eh?" Gilbert speaks up with a determined smile on his face which shows how excited he is for this mission. I'm actually pretty surprised that he's able to go on missions so quickly considering it was only yesterday that we found him. I would have thought he would want a larger break, but he went straight back to improving his God Arc. I was pretty worried that after we rescued him, he would be depressed. After all, I have reason to believe that Rachel subjected him to some sort of mental torture like she tried to do for me; and like she's most likely doing to Ciel and Nana.

"Cedrick? something up?" Gilbert snaps me out of my thoughts and I'm met with the concerned looks of my teammates.

"Hm? No, nothing's wrong. Don't worry." I dismiss their worries with a forced smile. Nobody speaks up after this. They continue staring at me for a few more seconds but it feels like a lot longer. I look out the window and realise that we're nowhere near the Spiral Tree yet. I sigh immediately as I realise that everyone is going to be quiet because of me.

"Livie," I speak to her and grab everyone's attention in the process. "You said that there are numerous teams taking part in this mission, right?" I wait for her confirmation before I continue.

"Yes." She answers me, waiting to hear my next words.

"So, how many teams are looking for Ciel and Nana?" I let loose my thoughts and hear Gilbert reclining into his chair. I look to him as I hear his noises since it's the only thing I hear for a while. He stares at the roof of the helicopter, no doubt waiting for a response too. Either that, or he knows something that I don't. Kanon, on the other hand, just continues looking between Livie and I with a slightly depressing face.

"Enough." It takes Livie a while to answer my question and she does so as she turns away from me. The fact that she doesn't look at me as she speaks suggests she's hiding something. Also, Kanon and Gilbert don't speak up either suggesting that they're either satisfied with that answer, or they know more than me. I'm definitely not satisfied with that answer though, but I know that there is no point raising my voice to tell them that now considering any argument I get into will be a 3-on-1 fight against me. Instead, I keep my anger withheld although it doesn't do anything to improve the bad mood I awoke with.

Eventually, the helicopter reaches the Spiral Tree and we quickly make our way up to the middle layers of it. It only takes us a few minutes to find the first of our targets, and strangely it isn't a medium-sized Aragami like I had been expecting.

"A Nyx Alpha, eh?" Gilbert speaks up with excitement lacing his voice. The whole situation in the helicopter seemingly being forgotten.

"It's a good job that I'm a Blast Gun God Arc user rather than a Melee attacker." Kanon looks at the situation in a positive light as well. Livie, on the other hand, stays silent but changes her God Arc to its Gun Form. Maybe it's just me, but I think that the situation on the helicopter is affecting Livie more than it is affecting Kanon and Gilbert. Currently, the latter two are probably thinking along the lines of _it isn't my problem at the moment_. Livie, though, seems to be wallowing in a depressive state. She knows that I'm upset at her ambiguous answer, but she can't say anymore than she already has for some reason. Still, even if Livie is depressed, I'm pissed. Thus, nothing stops me from firing a complete load of bullets at the Nyx Alpha where it falls to the ground in a stunned heap. My three teammates seize the opportunity and fire their bullets towards the Aragami as well. Instead of rushing with them to fire at point-blank range, I decide to hang back. Mainly so I know whereabouts Kanon is so I can avoid being hit with her bullets.

"Get it while it's down!" Gilbert shouts a bit too late as the Aragami shows signs of recovering from the temporary stunning. Sure enough, within a couple of seconds, the Nyx Alpha brushes off the stun and regains altitude. I reload my Oracle Points with O-Ampules and set about firing at the, if I'm honest, beautiful Aragami. It really is a shame that something as beautiful as it can be a danger to humanity. The inside of the feminine Aragami's skirt looks just like the night sky that it's rather hard not to become starstruck. Just as I think this, the skirt becomes completely torn as Kanon fires a powerful bullet at close range.

"Yes! The bond is broken!" Kanon shouts in happiness as the monster once again falls to the ground, this time though the Aragami can clearly be seen struggling to get back up. With ten more rounds of bullets from each of us, the Nyx Alpha doesn't get back up.

"Alright! It didn't even have a chance to fight back!" Gilbert celebrates as we managed to avoid a difficult battle with a tricky Aragami.

"Let's keep moving." I realise it too late that even I can hear the lack of enthusiasm in my voice. It startles me but it is too late to correct myself now. I keep moving forward and soon hear the whispering of a couple of my teammates with an occasional third voice speaking from behind me as well.

Again, not too much longer we manage to find another target, or rather targets. Two Fierce Kongou are fighting over the corpse of a Quadriga as they each try and devour the remains of it. Looking at the defeated Aragami's corpse, it doesn't appear as though the two Fierce Kongou were the ones to kill it. The Quadriga almost looks as though it has been gutted by an Aragami with very sharp claws. The only Aragami I think could fit the description are the Hannibals or the Gawains. Regardless, if one of the larger Aragami has already been defeated then our job is made easier.

"Let's go." Livie commands, stepping in front of me and leading the way to the Aragami that are still fighting. Personally, I would have waited for the two of them to have dealt each other some more damage, but I guess Livie is in charge here, so I don't argue the point with her.

As we approach the two Fierce Kongou, I decide to deploy a paralysis trap. Livie and Gilbert run by me as I store my current amount of Oracle Points before I inject numerous O-Ampules into my Arc and store it all again. I'm not particularly fond of melee fighting Fierce Kongou as they can easily use AOE electrical attacks around themselves which I usually find myself just barely avoiding. I'll gladly allow Livie and Gilbert to take on the role of melee attackers for this battle. Checking to make sure that I have a healing bullet as well as a damaging bullet equipped, to make sure I can easily switch between offence and defence, I start firing at the two Aragami. Kanon takes up a position beside me.

"Ha! Now I can show you what I can do!" Due to the excitement I hear in Kanon's voice, I choose not to tell her that she already had an opportunity to impress me when we were fighting the Nyx Alpha. I don't respond to her and decide to keep my attention on a Fierce Kongou that tries to roll over Gilbert. I don't shoot while it rolls, but I do shoot as soon as it stops and exposes its underbelly again. Just to be safe, I shoot a couple of recovery bullets at Gilbert and Livie that also increases their defence. Kanon continuously changes her bullet type to fit the situation; if the Kongou is trying to roll over someone, she trusts that the person will be able to dodge both the Aragami and a mortar that she fires in her predicted location where the monster will stop. I believe the reason why she is known as friendly-fire prone is because of her thinking.

"There's no point risking dangerous shots like that, Kanon." I inform her of the uselessness of predicting the location the Fierce Kongou will stop at.

"Huh? Why not?" I understand why she's confused. After all, she's probably been fighting like this since the start of her career. Hence why others fear going on missions with her.

"You risk hitting one of your teammates that way." I don't wait for her response and instead continue speaking. "It's safer to stop firing damaging bullets and switch to healing bullets while the Aragami is moving like that. The only time you can shoot at Aragami while they're on the move is if there is none of your teammates in the way."

"But I've always been shooting like this, Instructor. Ever since day one—" She attempts to complain but I interrupt her,

"That's why a lot of people don't particularly like going on missions with you, Kanon." I don't even realise how cruel my words are until after I say them. "They're afraid of being hit with your bullets. It would be a different story if you could change your Gun to something like a Sniper where the bullets are a lot smaller, but since you use a Blast Gun, the bullets are bigger, and their effects are larger. While they are more powerful that Sniper bullets, there's also a greater risk of hitting teammates." The Fierce Kongou she was firing at decides to try and flatten Livie again, so instead of firing more damaging bullets, she fires a healing radius bullet between Gilbert and Livie where the can both benefit from the added support.

"That's good thinking." Also using a Blast Gun, I couldn't fire at the rolling Fierce Kongou otherwise I'd risk being a hypocrite. Instead, I switch my Arc to Melee Form and run towards the Fierce Kongou giving Livie a bit of trouble. "Keep up the good work, Kanon." Unfortunately for her, she doesn't have this option, but now she is able to claim both Aragami as her targets instead of focusing on just the one. She can freely switch between targets now. Maybe as a Blast Gun user, it is better to be outnumbered rather than to have equal numbers.

I charge towards the Fierce Kongou, but before I can even land an attack, electricity begins to fizzle within a five-metre radius around Livie and I. I deploy my shield immediately and avoid being damaged by the attack as the force of the electricity blows me out of the five-metre radius. As soon as the attack is over, I charge back into the battle and land several slashes along the beast's arms before moving around the back of it to swipe at its vulnerable tail. It doesn't take long before the bond is broken and I continuously hit the now very vulnerable tail to deal even more damage than before all while avoiding the Fierce Kongou's attacks. Within minutes, Livie deals the finishing blow to the Aragami and we turn our attention to the Aragami currently preoccupied with Gilbert. The two of us run over to the monster while being careful not to get hit by any of Kanon's bullets. I'm not sure why she isn't using any of the bullets I told her about a while ago, bullets that can detect whether they've hit a friend or foe and apply the suitable effect, so I assume she doesn't have them stored in her God Arc at the moment. This just means we have to be even more careful when fighting this Fierce Kongou.

"Come to join the party?" Gilbert asks jokingly as he continues hitting the fatigued Aragami. Livie doesn't answer and neither do I, instead we focus on killing the Aragami. I'm not having fun fighting Aragami right now. We should be searching for any signs of Nana and Ciel. "This isn't a very exciting party." Gilbert continues as no one answered him before. Every so often a few bullets fly into the beast. I decide to back off from the beast to let Kanon get some action and even more bullets fly into it. I raise an arm into the air and give her a thumbs up. This is how she should be fighting. Leaving this Aragami to the three of them, I decide to scout further ahead. Of course, I tell them this before I do so just so they don't think I wandered off and am lost.

I wander along the middle of the Spiral Tree, making sure to check every square inch for any signs of the missing girls. Expectedly though, I come up with nothing and this doesn't make me the happiest person in the world. It isn't much longer before I hear footsteps coming from behind me. It sounds like three pairs of footsteps. I keep checking the area, assuming the owners of the footsteps are my teammates. However,

"Hi, Cedrick."

"Hey, Cedrick."

"Cedrick, my sworn brother in arms." I hear three different greetings from three different people. It is easy to identify who said what. I turn around to greet the three members of the 1st Unit, Kota, Erina and Emil. The latter two of the three look ready to fight Aragami and appear to have only slight scratches from recent endeavours with their opponents. Kota, on the other hand, looks drastically different. I assume that he took the full brunt of a lot of attacks to be in that condition.

"What's up?" I ask them. It's a bit strange that they come up to me considering they are undergoing their own missions right now, so why did they speak to me? Before they can respond though. "You look like you've been busy." I direct my last sentence towards Kota who still isn't breathing normally.

"Yeah… Hahaha." He nervously chuckles while scratching the back of his head with an arm. "We've just had to fight a Corrosive Hannibal." Kota continues and I understand why he is in a bad condition. Corrosive Hannibals are unpredictable most of the time; they can change targets pretty quickly even if their new target is quite the distance away. I assume the Aragami they were fighting thought that Kota would be the easiest target out of the three.

"That Aragami just wouldn't give up." Erina chips in with a droning voice.

"Indeed. It was quite the splendid adversary and, although we fought with all our blood, sweat and tears, it still proved to be bothersome."

"I'm sure it did, Emil. An Aragami wouldn't bow to your chivalry." I quickly speak up as I notice Erina's expression change to one of annoyance. It was only a matter of seconds before she quipped up and an argument started.

"So, are you alone?" Erina's voice becomes excited though for what reason I am unsure. It seems as though me being alone counteracts her anger for Emil.

"No, I'm with—" Despite seeing Erina's mood deflate, I am just about to tell them who is accompanying me when I hear another set of footsteps and also see them approaching us from behind the 1st Unit. "Here they are now." Seeing that I'm looking over their shoulders, the three from the 1st Unit turn towards my teammates.

"You shouldn't wander off on your own, Instructor." Kanon's slightly out of breath voice annoys me. It's not such much as her voice but the words she used.

"Kanon, I told you all I was scouting ahead. Do you, or do you not remember me saying those words?" I realise only after I say them that those words seem to be laced with irritation. Something which Emil and Erina look at me funnily for.

"We heard ya." Gilbert replies in Kanon's place. He appears to be slightly roughed up. He must have dropped his guard as he thought the Aragami was dead and the Fierce Kongou must have gotten some attacks in.

"That's not important right now anyway." As I speak, I gather the attention of all present. I direct everyone's attention to Kota. "Kota is clearly in need of a break. Gilbert, Kanon, why don't you two accompany him back to base to rest for a while."

"No, I'm fine. I don't need a break." Kota tries to protest.

"You clearly need a break, Captain Kota." Kanon argues with him and earns the nods of Erina and Emil.

"I must admit, Captain, that beast did quite a number on you. It would be best for you to rest and leave the rest to us." Emil speaks up with a wave of his arm before walking towards me where he stands to my side. "Erina and I will tag along with Cedrick while you rest." After hearing Emil's words, I expected Erina to argue with him about not wanting Emil to choose what she does, surprisingly,

"Yeah, Captain, you should get some rest. Cedrick and I can take over from here." I notice that she leaves out Emil's name, probably out of spite.

"Yeah, maybe a rest would help then." Kota appears to be beaten by his underlings and gives a weary sigh.

"I'm still in a good condition though. I can still fight." Gilbert also protests in a way that is characteristic of him.

"That's good, you can be the leader then, Gil." He never expected me to say that. "You can decide on the path you travel to get back to base, whether than means going an easy way with weak Aragami, or a difficult way and endanger Kota even more." Again, I realise that my words are harsh but there's nothing I can do to stop them from flowing. Again, everyone looks at me funny. Gilbert only grunts in frustration and begins walking away, leading Kanon and Kota to the base. I look at them walking for a couple of seconds before my attention shifts to Livie.

"Do you want a break too?" I ask her and she stares at me in response as if she's trying to search for something in my eyes. She stays that way for a short while before she closes her eyes and breaks off our small staring contest. She begins walking away from Emil, Erina and I and towards the group heading back to base.

"Let's go team." I turn my back to Livie and start walking in the opposite direction to her. Emil and Erina follow closely by my side.

"Did you two have a fight?" Emil asks me in concern.

"Not quite. I should warn you two now though, I'm not in the best of moods." I let silence hang over us for a couple of seconds. "It is for that reason why I'm changing our directive." I come to a stop, forcing Emil and Erina to do the same. "There isn't enough people searching for Ciel and Nana, but we're going to begin searching while taking care of our initial mission." I see the two of them smile in response.

"That's fine, as long as you can teach me more things." Erina gives an enthusiastic response that makes me smile.

"Ah, the love of your friends has lead you to…" I choose not to listen to Emil's long-winded way of saying that he will follow me and continue walking. The three of us will find some sign of Nana and Ciel, be it one way or the other.


	126. Chapter 126 - Demon Dancing

Chapter 126

DISCLAIMER: I DO NOT OWN THE GOD EATER FRANCHISE HOWEVER I DO OWN MY OC.

Also, please leave a review!

Name: Cedrick Esparza  
Gender: Male  
Hairstyle: Style 7 (Dark Brown)

God Arc: Gold Fin Edge (Long Blade), F-SD Launcher (Blast Gun), Kurogane Tower C (Tower Shield)  
Blood Art: IE Mk4: Detonate IV

A/N: God Eater 3 is out! Is everyone enjoying it?

It didn't take long before Emil and Erina returned to their normal arguments as the three of us continue walking through the upper layers of the Spiral Tree. I did intervene at one point, but they started arguing again just seconds later. Thus, I decided to tune them out. Besides, we have more important things to do. Having decided to search for Nana and Ciel, we've rarely engaged in combat since we switched teams, something which Erina doesn't hesitate to point out.

"How am I going to learn anything when we're avoiding Aragami?" The female of the group points out as we tiptoe around three Gboro-Gboros.

"I must admit, it is unusual for us to be avoiding Aragami." Emil chips in, being the only time he has agreed with Erina since we parted ways with Kota, Livie, Gilbert and Kanon.

"We've got a new objective, remember? We're looking for signs of Nana and Ciel." I inform them with slight reluctance. I'm pretty sure I haven't told them what our new aim is, so it only seems right that they find it strange that we're avoiding Aragami.

"Don't you think it's possible that we could find their signals where the Aragami are? I mean, Aragami hate God Eaters, right? Don't you think—"

"—Don't finish that sentence, Erina!" I growl and interrupt her, coming to a stop to look at her directly. I know what she's insinuating, and I don't like it. She thinks that Nana and Ciel could already be food for the Aragami around here and I highly detest that way of thinking. They're both still alive and waiting to be found. "Don't you even dare think of anything like that!"

With every footstep from then on, anger emanates from me. My anger even manages to keep things between Emil and Erina quiet for a short time before they begin whispering to each other. It's only a few minutes after their first whispers when someone speaks up again.

"Cedrick, my noble friend," Instead of shooting Emil down straight away, I allow him to speak despite already being annoyed. "I believe Erina is right" I turn to him with a look of disgust and anger. He believes that Nana and Ciel are already dead? "We should defeat the Aragami around here." He quickly continues before I get a chance to speak to him. "It's possible that the Aragami are blocking Nana and Ciel's signals." As much as I hate to admit it, he could be right.

"Fine." I growl again. "Let's destroy those bastards that you love so much." There are more important things than Aragami, and they're called Nana and Ciel. If defeating a few Aragami will shut them up, then I suppose I can allow that. Two Kongou and two Ravana are situated a fair distance from us that they haven't been able to hear our conversation. I would have opted to avoid them and continue searching, especially since we are now outnumbered, but I trust in the abilities of Emil and Erina to be able to handle four medium-sized Aragami. If they were large Aragami, then it would be a different story. I change my Arc to Gun Form and aim towards the closest Aragami; one of the Ravana. Without any warning, I unload a fury of bullets straight towards it; beginning our battle.

My bullets connect with the Ravana who gives a pained roar, alerting the other Aragami in the area. I can't help but grunt in disappointment that I couldn't have an easy battle.

"So, we're not going to have an easy time, huh?" I comment to myself.

"You know," Erina speaks up and grabs my attention although I keep my eyes on the now battle-ready Ravana as it charges towards us. "If you weren't so hot headed, we could have had an easier job." She backchats me snidely.

"If you have time to talk, Erina, you have time to fight." I inform her before dodging the Ravana's charging attack and then being forced to move again to avoid a ball of condensed wind from a Kongou. "That's your first lesson." Emil moved towards Erina as both Kongou began targeting her.

"Never fear, my dear Erina, I'm here to—GAH!" The righteous Emil tries to come to the rescue of his damsel in distress, but he didn't count on a Ravana cutting off his path with a surprisingly accurate beam of fire. I know that he isn't too hurt, thus I don't bother asking after his welfare and instead continue fighting the Ravana I shot to start the battle. Not wanting to drag the battle out, I instantly activate Blood Rage and select all available pledges. After this, I won't be able to activate Blood Rage for a while as the BR Meter is now only at 42%. Regardless, for the next thirty seconds I focus solely on fulfilling the pledges. I almost don't manage to complete them all, but in the nick of time I do. Thus, the familiar feeling of metal protruding out of my back and new energy coursing through my veins, I unleash the power of Blood Rage on the Ravana. Slashing, slicing and dicing, the Ravana falls to my blade, but I don't stop hacking away at my enemies. I move onto the closest Kongou as my Blood Rage approaches its limit. Luckily, before Blood Rage ran out, I managed to kill the Kongou as well. Now, there's only two enemies left. Knowing that I killed two of the Aragami by myself, I step back and let Emil and Erina take care of the last two opponents.

It takes a few more minutes, but Emil and Erina defeat their targets with minimal help from me; just supplying them with healing bullets that also increased either their attack or defence when I became impatient.

"Did you see that?" An excited Erina comes to me with a smile to rival Nana's. "With that attack boost, I was able to easily beat the Ravana with my Blood Art."

"Yeah, good job, Erina." I give her a smile and pat her head. Emil walks up to us, but before he can start speaking about how much of a good job he did, I continue speaking, "We should get a move on. We've spent too long here." I turn my back to them and begin walking, gesturing for them to follow.

We don't get too far before we come to a stop as I hear a communication line being formed between me and an unknown person.

"Cedrick," As soon as the person speaks, I realise it was Livie that had set up the communicative line, "Nana's signal has been responding strongly for a short while now." At her words I feel my chest warm up. "Bring Emil and Erina back to camp then we'll set off." She cuts off the communication between us.

"Well guys, it's time for you to go back to camp and get a rest." As I turn to them with a wide smile on my face, due to the good news, I notice that they both seem to be a little short of breath. It seems as though Livie informed me just in time. I can't help the excitement that overcomes me; I'll finally be able to see Nana again. I just need to get these two back to camp and then we can set out to find her.

"What? But I can still continue." It isn't the first time I've heard that today, and it might not be the last time either. Despite this however, Erina still seems out of breath as she speaks this.

"I'll tell you what Erina, after this whole ordeal is over, we'll go on a lot more missions." I give her an earnest smile to which she simply looks at. She doesn't complain and turns on her heels, heading back towards base. I see a smile form on Emil's face.

"Shut up, Emil." I don't even let him speak, but I offer him a smile. "Of course, I'll go on more missions with you as well." To be fair, I haven't had the time to spend with both of them, but this situation has made me realise something. If Emil and Erina went missing, I would regret not being able to spend more time with them, Hence, after the Spiral Tree is taken care of, and after I've spent some time with Julius, I'll promise to spend more time with those not from my unit.

Eventually, the three of us arrive back at camp where Livie and Gilbert stand waiting for us. Without so much as a word between the three of us, we set off as Emil and Erina take their places inside the campsite. The silence between Gilbert, Livie and I is a comfortable one as the three of us approach the area wherein Nana's signal is the strongest. However, as it is to be expected, the area in which her signal is contained is infested with Aragami.

"This is a good sign." Gilbert speaks up as we come to a stop on a ledge above the battlefield. "There weren't this much Aragami the last time we walked through here." I choose not to tell him that it is possible that all the Aragami that Emil, Erina and I didn't encounter could have wandered here. "That must mean even they can sense a signal of some sorts." Gilbert attempts to explain, although I'm sure Aragami can't sense a God Eater's signal… unless Nana is unconsciously using her Blood Power.

"Let's clear the area." Livie speaks up as she prepares her God Arc and I give a firm nod of the head. After dispelling these Aragami, the chances of finding Nana will increase, and we'll be safer while we do it.

"Yes, let's." I jump down from the ledge with a smile that could rival Erina's earlier smile only mine is more determined. I head towards the closest group of Aragami which happens to be a cluster of Zygotes. Within a minute, they've all been slaughtered. Their black blood soaks into the ground as I wipe away what splashed onto my skin as they were killed. Having defeated the small Aragami, I turn my attention to the Aether that Gilbert is occupied with. Livie, on the other hand, fights off a Fallen Kongou.

It doesn't take too much longer before all of the Aragami in the area have been defeated and we all split up to try and locate exactly where Nana's signal is emanating from…

Meanwhile…

"Huh?" A female, cat-eared God Eater utters in surprise at her surroundings. Having previously completed a mission with her unit, the girl suddenly finds herself in a strange place. "Wh-where am I?" She utters as her eyes grow accustom to the world. The room in which she is in hosts a large window with bars on to prevent escape and entry into and out of the room. "What is…"

"Nana…" At the mention of the God Eater's name, she turns her head in the direction of the voice. In the meantime, she is able t clearly see a table and chairs set out in front of her. On the wall is numerous childlike drawings; _her_ drawings. "You ready for breakfast?" This girl is not the only human in the room as standing in front of a sink and numerous cooking appliances is a woman that Nana is all too familiar with.

"M-Mommy!" She gasps and stumbles towards the table, gazing at the woman clad in a Fenrir uniform in front of her. "Wait… is this a dream?" She knows that her mother can't be in front of her and thus begins doubting whether she is dreaming vividly or if she is wide awake.

"I hope you're not still lazing about in bed, sleepyhead. Hehe!" The woman chuckles. "Come on and help me with breakfast. Most important meal of the day!" The woman turns towards the table, holding a large plate stacked with Oden sandwiches.

"Ah?" Nana, still confused, isn't sure what to say. "Eh… It looks really good." When she finally is able to comprehend her own thoughts, all she can say is that the food looks delectable as she holds her stomach in anticipation.

"Eat up, sweetie." The woman speaks up as she walks around the side of the table to stand in front of Nana. She holds her arms out and places her hands on Nana's shoulders. "I know things have been really crazy lately, but don't worry, my little kitten. From now on, I'll always be here." She lightly pulls Nana towards her chest where she embraces the cat-eared girl.

"M-Mom…" Is all Nana can utter as control of her emotions slip away from her. "Mommy!" She exclaims before placing her head on her mother's shoulder, closing the hug by wrapping her arms around her mother's back. And she wails.

A short time later, the two are seated at the table where Nana stares hungrily at her mother's cooking.

"Sh… It's okay." Nana's mother cups her daughter's hand as she speaks. "Here, I'm sure you're hungry. You remember your promise?"

"Right!" Nana responds vigorously. "Um… I won't cry, and I won't get mad. Just like always." Nana grasps her hands as she speaks almost as if saying a prayer.

"And if you're lonely?" Her mother encourages Nana to continue speaking.

"I'll eat an oden sandwich! Thank you for the food!" Nana completes her ritual with enthusiasm as she unlinks her hands and grabs one of the sandwiches

"Enjoy, honey." Her mother chuckles at Nana's enthusiasm for food and watches as she takes a large bite out of the sandwich in her hands. Nana continues eating with vigour and soon has a sandwich in each hand. "Wow! Look at you and your big appetite, Nana! It always makes me happy to see you eat."

"Huh?" Nana utters in confusion before she gives a chuckle. "Oh, yeah!" Nana remembers something and grabs the attention of her mother, "Hey mommy! Guess what, guess what! I've got something great to tell you!" The sandwiches have long since disappeared from her hands as Nana excitedly speaks to her mother.

"Yes, sweetie?"

"I have the best friends in the world now! We spend so much time together. We fight the Aragami, we tell jokes, and stories and…" She relays her life to her mother in such excitement that you would expect her to explode with giddiness. "Hm… where'd they go? I wanted to introduce you." As she realises her friends are not with her, she looks around the room and hopes to see her friends standing somewhere in the corner waiting for Nana to introduce them to her mother.

"That's awful, Nana." Her mother states with a voice laced with sadness. Sadness at how Nana views the people in her life, and sadness that they're in her life to begin with.

"Huh?" Nana is, once again, confused to hear her mother speak. She was expecting her mother to be very supporting of her and her friends, so to hear her speak ill of them is a surprise for her.

"Shame on you, bothering those people with all your petty fears." Her mother reprimands Nana while cusping her hand, a look of disdain on her face.

"What? But Mom, they…"

"They lied to you, honey." Her mother leaves her seat and begins walking behind Nana. "You're a burden to them, just like everyone else." Nana remains silent at her mother's words. "I'm the only one who really loves you, Nana. Only your mommy is here for you." Despite her mother's words, Nana relishes the cuddle from her mother. "I've been gone for a long time, but I swear I'll never leave you again. My sweet Nana…" A horde of black butterflies appear from behind Nana's mother's back.

"I missed you so much… But, mom, it's okay, they're the best!" Nana breaks free from her mother's cuddle and the black butterflies disappear just as quickly as they appear as Nana stands from her seat. "They told me they like me for who I am. No matter what." With every word, Nana grows in confidence. Completely leaving the seat, she faces her mother. "And I know it's true, too. I ran away once before, but they came to find me. Whenever I'm with them, they make me feel so safe. They accept me. Julius, Romeo, Gil, Ciel… Cedrick… I know that, no matter what, they love me so much. And they're always happy to see me, Mom, whether I'm laughing or crying."

"Nana…"

"More than anything I want to help them, to repay them for being the best team, and the best friends, I could ever ask for." Nana continues speaking emotionally as she walks towards her God Arc that is propped against the wall near the door. "I'm still not sure what I can do. How I can protect them… But I know I have to find them." She grips her God Arc and walks towards the door with it in hand. She grunts as she is unable to open the door. "Nngh! This door is stuck. All right then. Hiiya!" She breaks the door open by slamming her Arc into it. As she does so, a horde of black butterflies escape from the collapsed door and a world of white can be seen outside of this room. "Sorry about that, mom. Could you fix it? I gotta go help my friends! Love ya!" With those final words to her mother, she escapes the room.

"Nana?" Another voice calls for her. "Hey, Nana!"

"Huh? What?" As the voice gets clearer, and she opens her eyes, she sees the people calling for her.

Gilbert was the one to find Nana this time, and he informed Livie and I through a communicative line formed between the three of us before we split off to find her. Once I had arrived to where he said he found Nana, I noticed that Livie was already standing beside him as they tried to get an unconscious Nana to respond. I began to fear the worst as she never spoke and didn't look like she would ever respond, but my worries alleviated once the girl spoke something. I didn't know what it was, but frankly I didn't care. Gilbert kept calling her name and, eventually, the girl woke up. At that moment, I found it difficult to hold myself back from springing into a hug and cradling the team member that has been missing for a couple of days. Now, only one person remains.

"Ah, hey! I finally found you guys! I'm so glad we're all together again." Maybe not all of us, Nana, but I'll let her think that way for now. I can only assume that Dr. Rachel subjected her to some kind of mental torture like Gilbert and I before her. Yet, she doesn't seem affected by it. Rather, like Gilbert before her, she looks as though she has found new energy, as if she is at peace with herself.

"Nana, are you all right?"

"I'm great. I feel like I just had the best dream ever! Mom was there, and there were sandwiches!" As Nana replies to Livie's question, I begin to question myself as to whether she actually was subjected to mental torture. If she was then Dr. Rachel must have chosen the wrong way to do it; Nana appears happier than ever. However, as she speaks, a horde of black butterflies gather a short distance from us. I'm not the only one to realise it though, regardless I prepare my God Arc for another fight.

"That's lovely, Nana, really. We can't wait to hear all about it." Gilbert is the one to break the news to her. "Right after we crush this thing." At the mention of Gilbert's words, Nana turns around to see an Aragami forming due to the black butterflies. This Aragami looks similar to a Kongou with a few differences. The major difference is that the Aragami appears to be combined with a Boost Hammer God Arc as sitting on its shoulders are two large hammers.

"An Arc Aberrant." Livie utters as we stare in wonder at the newly formed beast. We don't stare for long though as it charges towards us, starting the battle.


	127. Chapter 127 - Lavender Blizzard

Chapter 127

DISCLAIMER: I DO NOT OWN THE GOD EATER FRANCHISE HOWEVER I DO OWN MY OC.

Also, please leave a review!

Name: Cedrick Esparza  
Gender: Male  
Hairstyle: Style 7 (Dark Brown)

God Arc: Gold Fin Edge (Long Blade), F-SD Launcher (Blast Gun), Kurogane Tower C (Tower Shield)  
Blood Art: IE Mk4: Detonate IV

Strangely, the battle with the Kongou-Arc-Aberrant, now known as a Rakshasa Kongou, was oddly easier than the battles with the Fierce Kongou that invaded the battlefield at the same time. The only real threat was the extra hit that the Arc Aberrant would deal when it collapsed to the ground in exhaustion. So, after the battle, we took Nana back to the Den where she immediately went about making herself some food. I would have brought food for her, like I did for Gilbert, but some part of me didn't really expect to find her today. Regardless, like I did for Gilbert, I decided to stick with Nana as she made a ton of oden sandwiches and other concoctions. Gilbert and Livie also decided to stay with Nana. Other than making sandwiches for us, she told us about how she saw her mother and told her about us. The whole conversation is strange. I'm pretty sure that Gilbert and I are the only ones that realised that Nana's mother was probably Dr. Rachel in disguise. This idea was further reinforced as Gilbert whispered to me that Dr. Rachel disguised herself as Kate. Oh well, at least Nana wasn't hurt in any way.

It was much later into the night that we decided to finally split ways. I was able to sleep a little better, but I was unable to sleep for the whole night due to one reason; excitement that Ciel will be found next. However, it is just a case of when will we find her and when we do, I won't hesitate to hug her. I'll probably have to restrain myself from doing more too, at least until I've confessed. I need to find the right time to do both after we find her. As has been the case with Gilbert and Nana, there will probably be an Aragami spawning behind Ciel when we find her that, due to Dr. Rachel's interference, probably has been welded with Ciel's God Arc. The light of a new day begins shining through the window and I decide to leave my bed to complete my morning rituals; although instead of going to the lounge, I go to the cafeteria for a change. I have enough money to afford going to the lounge, but for a change I'll go with the cheaper option.

Nothing eventful happens in the cafeteria. Given how early in the day it is, the only other people around are the staff members that arrived with Fenrir Intelligence Centre. I didn't think much of it as I ate my substandard meal, only that these staff members must have to get up early on a regular basis.

After finishing my meal, I leave the cafeteria and head into the main area of the Den; the seats on the floor above the operator's desk. I take a seat and rest my head on the back of the couch in relaxation as I let time try to wake me up.

I feel my body being shaken and a voice telling me to wake up. I realise then that I must have fallen asleep on the couch and groggily open my eyes to meet the owner of the voice.

"You're finally waking up." The feminine voice speaks up again. It takes a few seconds for my eyes to adjust to the light, but once they do, I can identify the voice's owner as Hibari.

"I'm up. I'm up." I groan as I'm about to stand up but Hibari stops me by placing her hands on my shoulders and pushing me back down.

"You might want to wake her up before you stand up." She gestures towards my lap once she's pushed me back down. I follow her gaze and see a cat-eared woman sleeping on my lap. If my heart didn't already belong to someone else, then it may have skipped a beat. However, I do smile at the sight of Nana sleeping on my lap. She must have realised I hadn't gotten enough sleep last night as I worried about Ciel and decided to stay to keep me company. She must have fallen asleep at one point.

"Nana, Wake up." I softly pat her on the head a few times before removing my hand from her head. She grunts as her eyes slowly flicker open. Her eyes must be adjusting as her body steadily begins to grow more tense. A few seconds later, she springs up.

"You're awake!" She exclaims to me, completely ignoring the fact that she was also sleeping. "I was trying to wake you up."

"Yeah, of course you were." I reply sarcastically before realising that Hibari is still standing in front of us, a clipboard in her hands. I slowly stand up to let my legs wake up as well after housing Nana's head. "Was there something you needed, Hibari?" My question prevents any sort of comeback Nana could have thought of as she realises the operator is with us.

"Good morning, Hibari." Nana greets her happily, a signature smile on her face. I've missed seeing that smile for the past few days. Hibari gives a quick bow to Nana with a smile also on her face. However, it disappears quickly as she turns towards me.

"I'll get straight to business, Captain." Her abrupt change of tone interests me. "Ciel's signal has been picked up in the same area that Nana's was." Her words leave me speechless for a few moments as my waking brain processes what she is saying. However, once my brain has processed her words, all weariness I had felt disappears.

"I'm going." I walk towards the lift to take me to the God Arc Storage Warehouse. However, Hibari isn't finished talking.

"You should expect another series of fights." I turn back towards Hibari after I press the button for the lift and listen to her as I wait. "It will be a three-phase operation. In the first phase, you will have to fight against a Susano'o and a Sekhmet. The second phase will consist of battles against a Charged Chi-You, a polar Gboro-Gboro and a Chrome Gawain. We don't have enough information about any Aragami in the third phase, however if the mission reports of Livie are accurate, we expect you'll be fighting against an Aragami fused with Ciel's God Arc."

"I see. I'm going to have to prepare myself." I take up a thinking gesture. "Hibari, tell Livie and Gilbert to meet me on the roof in 20 minutes, prepared for battle." I inform her before turning to the girl I almost forgot about since my mind weighed on Ciel, "Nana, you get ready too." I see her smile but I continue speaking, "We're going to save Ciel!"

"Okay!" She shouts enthusiastically and gallops towards me with excitement. We both wait for the lift to arrive which only takes a few more seconds before we enter it and head to the God Arc Storage Warehouse. All the while, I'm beginning to grow nervous. I know that Ciel can handle herself in battle and thus have no worries that she is perfectly safe. However, it's what I'm planning after this battle that makes me nervous. "By the way, I was wondering when the two of you would include me in the conversation." Nana jabs me with her fingers. "Did you forget about me when your beloved Ciel was mentioned?"

"N-Not at all." I didn't expect her sudden question and the fact that I am still nervous made me answer as such. The lift comes to a stop on the floor we want and we leave it. "Anyway, we should split up here. I've still got some work to do on my God Arc before we leave. That's why I said we'd meet on the roof in 20 minutes. Make sure you're prepared as well, Nana."

"Aye aye, sir." She gives a salute before running off to find her God Arc. I, on the other hand, move towards the closest terminal where I set about editing my God Arc to match the fights ahead of us.

God Arc: Pyramus (Long Blade), F-SD Launcher II (Blast Gun), Kurogane Tower D (Tower Shield)

In the end, I decide that raw power is better than equipping the God Arc with the exact weaknesses of all the Aragami I will be fighting. However, since my God Arc is a Blaze type, that means I'll be able to defeat the Aragami in the second phase easier. In the first phase, I'll just need to make sure that I'm energetic and can land as many hits as possible. Besides, I'm not going to be the only person fighting; Livie, Nana and Gilbert will be by my side as well. Having collected my newly upgraded God Arc in under 15 minutes, I head to the roof and wait beside a helicopter.

After another five minutes, the four of us are in a helicopter and are headed to the Bridge of Divine Selection: Mid. This is where the first phase will take place and, according to Livie who Hibari gave extra information to due to her abundance of patience, for the first two minutes after we arrive, the Aragami there will have clearer vision. It's another few minutes before we arrive at the location where phase one takes place, but when we do we instantly notice that the Sekhmet and Susano'o are within close proximity of each other. We drop down from the helicopter but don't immediately engage in combat.

"We should separate them." Livie suggests while I store the Oracle Points I currently have.

"If we decide to split up, we'll take care of them quicker." I chip in as I inject three O-Ampules into my Arc and store the OP again.

"That would usually be a good idea, however…" Livie looks towards my Arc, "You've prepared for phase two and not phase one."

"All that means is I have to change the way I fight, and I already have a plan. Although, it would be easier to fight the Susano'o using this plan though."

"What is it?" Nana asks in curiosity. Gilbert and Livie also seem to want to know.

"I'll need to get up close and personal and use a lot of devour attacks to extract Oracle from the Aragami. Then, I equip Divine bullets, or Freeze bullets if I'm fighting the Sekhmet instead, and shoot them at the Aragami. Rinse and repeat."

"You seem to have thought this out." Gilbert comments with a smirk.

"Although we have no idea what we'll be fighting against in phase three, so there's a possibility that you can't deal with the Aragami in that phase." Livie focuses on the negative points of the mission.

"Thinking like that won't get us anywhere, Livie. You can't be too negative." I comment as I finally finish preparing my God Arc's Gun Form.

"You can't be too positive either." Livie responds but I can only smile at that. There's one person among us who is always positive,

"Does it really matter? As long as we defeat these guys we'll be closer to rescuing Ciel!" Speak of the devil, the positive one among us speaks as she tries to convince her fellow teammate. Livie looks at Nana before deciding not to speak as she finally seems to understand why I was smiling at her words.

"Alright. Cedrick and I will take separate the Susano'o. Gilbert, Nana you two will need to distract the Sekhmet so that it doesn't follow us." Livie gives out out instructions.

"Got it!"

"Okay!" The two of them respond appropriately. I simply give a nod of my head.

"Let's go." Livie responds calmly and we head towards our targets.

Despite the distance between the Susano'o and I, I manage to shoot an armour piercing bullet at the Aragami. It roars and rears up onto its back legs before turning towards where the bullet came from; me. However, as expected, it isn't just the Deusphage that the bullet attracted as the Sekhmet, alarmed by the other Aragami's roar, also turned in the same direction. The Sehmet and the Susano'o come charging towards us. A few shots hit both of the Aragami coming from Gilbert and Nana.

"Over here!" Gilbert shouts towards the beast as he continues shooting.

"Hey, you big chicken! We're here!" Nana tries mocking the avian-type Aragami. It doesn't seem to work though as the Susano'o switches its attention to them instead, having been hit by a vast amount of bullets more than the Sekhmet.

"Change targets!" Livie shouts as the Sekhmet continues rushing towards us, swinging its claws erratically while the Susano'o runs towards Gilbert and Nana. This unfortunate turn of events means that I really can't continue using the same method of fighting that I've always done. At least if I was fighting against the scorpion Aragami, I'd be able to deal a normal amount of damage. Now though, I'll deal minimal damage with my Blaze-type God Arc. As the Aragami recovers from unsuccessful slash attacks with its claws, I step towards the beast and perform a quick devour. Back stepping from the beast, I check to see my OP meter.

"I've gained a reasonable amount of OP." I comment. "My plan should work." I slash into the air and activate my Blood Art, firing a ton of Freeze bullets at the beast. I stop as soon as I see it gliding towards me and deploy my shield instead.

After twenty minutes, the Sekhmet and the Susano'o have both been defeated. We swiftly move onto the next area and since I am appropriately equipped for this battle, the Aragami fall very quickly, meaning that the whole area is clear. And so, phase three will begin as soon as we find Ciel…

Meanwhile

A lone figure walks across the red floor of the Spiral Tree, surrounded by mist. The only things that can be seen is the blood red ground and darkness in the sky. Nevertheless, the figure continues walking forwards with her God Arc by her side. What must this woman be thinking to herself as she walks? Is she thinking about where she is? Where her friends are? There must be so much more than she is wondering.

"Ciel…" A male voice speaks up and puts the woman on high alarm. She transforms her Arc to Gun Form in response and gazes from side to side in an attempt to identify the source of the voice. It's a voice she knows all too well, but a voice she hasn't heard for a very long time. "You defied my only wish… I asked you to let me go. Why would you not obey?" The male voice continues. Ciel knows this voice as belonging to the former Captain of Blood Special Forces; Julius Visconti. "There's nothing for you here, Ciel. Leave this place, be safe and live a full life. Let me fight this battle." Julius's voice continues. In response, Ciel's Arc switches back to Melee Form as she places a hand on her chest.

"No, Julius, we won't leave you again… We've come to bring you home." Ciel has clearly been affected by the voice of her former Captain, a friend that has been stuck in the Spiral Tree for a long time, and now that the opportunity arises, Julius is trying to prevent Ciel and her friends from saving him? This doesn't sit well with her. The new Captain and her best friend, Cedrick, often spoke of their only goal being to rescue Julius from the grips of the Spiral Tree. And now, they're so close to doing so.

"That's foolish and you know it." Julius' harsh voice echoes through the air. "If I abandon this realm the Devouring Apocalypse will break free."

"It will find a way into the world whether you're here or not, Julius." Ciel replies with vigour as she tries to convince the man she's known since they were both kids in Magnolia Compass. "You can't hold it back forever. And besides…" She turns her attention away from the sky, "If you really wish to have this conversation…" She continues speaking while turning in place. "Then at the least do me the courtesy of conducting it in your true form…" She glares at the figure of a woman she has also known for a long time. "Dr. Rachel."

"I begin to bore of your cleverness, Ciel." With the façade of Julius gone, Dr. Rachel speaks using her own words. "With all those wits, surely you understand the truth of what awaits when you reach Julius… Your former Captain is the Singularity. He is crucial, held, and cannot be torn from this place." She explains. "Are you surprised? Surely kind Julius told you the truth. To remove the Singularity is to annihilate your world. Condemn it all." Ciel remains silent. "Therefore, isn't the best decision to simply allow the Apocalypse to begin anew? To ignite the spark that grows to a cleansing fire?" As she speaks, she walks closer to Ciel and eventually walks by her. "Julius is lost, Ciel. The man you once knew is gone. All that remains is a fragment of the Apocalypse. I wouldn't lie to you, my darling. I wouldn't lead you astray. Return to my side. For the price of your allegiance, I will pardon Blood Special Forces of all their crimes. I am willing to grant forgiveness." She tries to convince Ciel to rejoin her. "You can see Julius again. All of Blood can kneel to me, swear fealty to me, defend me. We can each of us greet the world's fall together." She continues speaking, turning to face the back of Ciel and extends her arm out towards her.

"I think not." Ciel's sudden answer stops Rachel's arm dead in its tracks. There is so much conviction in Ciel's voice that it seems to surprise Rachel from moving any further. Ciel turns towards her former mentor. "Call me a fool. Maybe I am… But I will not surrender while I still have hope left. I will not give in to someone like you. It's your Blood Unit that taught me that." Rachel's arm reclines to be back by her side as Ciel explains her refusal. "Come whatever may, Rachel. You cannot turn away this Arc. I will fight for them, and Julius, to my last breath." With nothing more left to be said, Rachel bows her head in acceptance of Ciel's answer, her eyes closed as a barrage of black butterflies swarm around her.

"Alas, it is not to be. Then it seems we have little else to say to one another." Rachel raises her head, her eyes piercing into Ciel's. "Farewell, my Ciel. In a more perfect world, I believe we would have walked hand-in-hand. To do this breaks my heart." The black butterflies engulf Rachel and she disappears with those being her final words. Ciel looks on in anticipation, not backing away as the world turns to white; the dream over.

Back to Cedrick…

"Ciel! Ciel can you hear us!" Gilbert speaks in his eighth attempt to contact her since we started searching. The four of us had split up to try and find her, each taking a different path.

"Y-Yes." I hear through my earpiece and my heart skips a beat. "Yes, I read you loud and clear." It's her voice. It's Ciel's voice! I feel a lump forming in my throat.

"Yes! Thank goodness!" Nana expresses her relief at hearing Ciel's voice. I would do the same, but I'm afraid it'll come out as a croak. "We finally got through to you, Ciel! Are you okay?"

"We're on our way to you, all right? Just hold on a little longer." Gilbert speaks up again. I feel a new found energy in my legs as I check the map to see the location of Ciel's signal. It's quite the distance from me; Livie, Nana and Gilbert are much closer.

Acknowledged. Thank you. Everyone…" Ciel begins speaking but suddenly stops herself from finishing her sentence.

"Yeah? Ciel, what's wrong?" Gilbert asks in concern. I'm glad he does as I don't know if my voice has gotten any better yet.

"Nothing. I'll save it for when I see you. Fight well. I'll be right here, waiting for you… My friends." She speaks and I hear her breathing pick up in pace. She must be running towards something and if she's saying 'fight well' it must mean that it's the Aragami that is combined with part of Ciel's Arc. I sprint towards her location. I hear a roar in the distance. The battle must have started! I'm coming to save you, Ciel!

I leap and jump over any obstacles that are in my path to Ciel and eventually see the Aragami as well as four of my teammates fighting it. It appears as though they're fighting against a red coloured Kyuubi that has black and white details, as well as the signature demon mask of all Arc Aberrants. What I'm more interested in though, is the silver haired girl wearing a gothic Lolita dress with a corset. She currently has her shield deployed as the Aragami springs itself towards her. She isn't damaged though. As I stare at her, I feel something trickling down my face. I bring a hand to my face and realise that I'm crying, I also can't remove the smile from my face that I didn't even know I was wearing. After rubbing my eyes, I bring my attention back to the battle and see that an injured-looking Ciel is still the target of the Aragami's attacks. I quickly change my Arc to Gun Form and fire three healing bullets straight at her.

"I'm here for you." I shout as I use my Arc to perform a swiping motion before unloading a ton of small bullets at the beast to prevent it from charging any further towards Ciel who still has her shield up.

"Thanks Cedrick!" Maybe it's just me, but I could have sworn there was a bit more happiness in her voice than relief there. I didn't have much time to dwell on it though as the monster turned towards the next most tired one in the group; Livie. It's almost as though this monster can sense who has the lowest amount of health points left. I shoot another couple of healing bullets towards Livie, but now I'm out of Oracle Points. I switch my Arc back to Melee Form.

"Okay, you beast, you're the only thing stopping me from a heart-warming reunion with Ciel!" I charge towards the Aragami with my blade by my side. Despite the embarrassment of that exclamation, I push through it and quickly deploy my shield as the Kyuubi variant kicks up a tornado. It pushes me a short distance away but as soon as the coast is clear, I charge straight towards it once more. By the looks of it, the beast is moderately damaged. I'm not sure how long it took me to run from my position to meet up with Ciel and the rest, but it appears that they got in a decent amount of damage. I'd estimate another ten minutes or so and it'll go down. I perform a quick devour and backstep several times before firing the bullet I obtained directly into its midriff. Charging in right beside me, Nana smashes her hammer against the Arc Aberrant's midriff. Activating his Blood Power, Gilbert unleashes a powerful blow into one of its rear legs. I fire a Divine bullet at the beast and watch for its reaction.

It doesn't take too much longer before the beast comes crumbling down. I keel over as I try and regain the air I lost to my lungs after sprinting to this position from the other side of the area as well as fighting a new type of Aragami. Ciel and Livie take turns devouring the corpse.

"Well, that's that." Livie speaks up before turning to Ciel. "It's good to see you back."

"Thanks." Ciel speaks her words of gratitude and I hear a smile on her face. I also hear that she's right beside me. I don't care that everyone's attention is on her. I said I was going to do this when I found her.

"Ciel." I stand up and walk towards her.

"Cedrick." She gives me a nod with a smile on her face, probably expecting me to say that I'm glad that she's back. What she doesn't expect is me giving her a hug. I embrace her lovingly and yet tightly. I can feel her breasts pushing into my chest but I don't care. I wrap my arms around her and bring her closer to me.

"Ciel, I've missed you so much." I'm aware that everyone's eyes are on us, but that's not going to stop me. I've waited too long for this! "I missed you a lot more than I thought I would have if you were not by my side. I haven't been able to sleep properly in the days you've been missing." I'm pouring my heart out to her, and as I speak, I realise my eyes are pouring too. "I want you to be by my side forever. I love you, Ciel. I love you so much." I hear nothing from her. I physically can't feel anything from her either. It continues that way for what feels like hours before I realise that she still mustn't feel the same way. I've been rejected again. For some reason though, I can't cry over that. I loosen my grip on Ciel as I realise now that my actions could be considered a form of sexual harassment. I push myself away from Ciel. Or I would if I could. Something stops me from doing so. In fact, something pushes me back onto Ciel. I realise it a second later that she's embracing me too. I feel a wetness on my shoulder.

"I've been waiting so long… So long to have a second chance." I hear her words in my ear. It sounds like she's whispering just to me. "A second chance to tell you how I feel." I feel her grip on me tighten. My heart starts thumping and my chest feels hot. "I ran away after the first time you confessed because I couldn't bring myself to reply. I was too embarrassed. I caused you so much pain." She gasps. I make her let go of me as I wipe her eyes and then her cheeks.

"Does that mean?" My heart is beating erratically, but I can't help but think to myself that I'm jumping the gun. She places her hands on my face and wipes away the remnants of tears that trickled down my face.

"Yes." She smiles before pushing me back into her chest. "I love you too." I hug her back just as tightly and we stay like that for a while. For the first time today, minutes feel like seconds. Until,

"Alright, you guys." I feel a soft, feminine hand on my back. "You can save it for when we get back. Right now, I want to hug Ciel too." I can't help but chuckle at Nana's words.

"Of course." I speak and Ciel and I let go of each other, a large smile on both of my faces. I step away from Ciel and straight away Nana pounces onto Ciel and gives her a loving hug as well. I watch them as they embrace and comfort each other. Although, their words become whispers and I begin to get suspicious as Ciel quickly glances over to me. Before I can do anything though, I feel an arm wrap around my shoulders.

"It's like watching a younger brother find love." Gilbert speaks up before ruffling my hair. "It looks like it worked out for you this time, Cedrick."

"This time?" Livie steps up, coming to a stop by my side. I can see a small smile on her face; she also finds this amusing.

"Like Ciel said, she indirectly rejected him at first. That was before you came to the Far East." Gilbert explains to Livie with a large smile on his face, walking to stand beside her instead. He is definitely enjoying this at the expense of Ciel and I. And he isn't exactly being quiet.

"Yeah, but it sounds like that was a mistake, right?" Nana turns to Ciel as they have since stopped hugging each other. It makes me want to start hugging Ciel again. The two girls walk towards the rest of us; Ciel stopping by my side, taking Gilbert's place as he had moved to talk to Livie.

"Right." Ciel answers nervously. I can tell she's uncomfortable.

"Well, time to head back home, guys." I inform the group, a large smile on my face; one that I don't think will ever disappear.


	128. Chapter 128 - A loving gesture

Chapter 128

DISCLAIMER: I DO NOT OWN THE GOD EATER FRANCHISE HOWEVER I DO OWN MY OC.

Also, please leave a review!

Name: Cedrick Esparza  
Gender: Male  
Hairstyle: Style 7 (Dark Brown)

God Arc: Pyramus (Long Blade), F-SD Launcher II (Blast Gun), Kurogane Tower D (Tower Shield)  
Blood Art: IE Mk4: Detonate IV

Arriving back at the Den is more of an uproar than I had hoped it would be. As soon as we had stepped through the door, there was a large roster of God Eaters and staff members that greeted us. Or more importantly, they greeted the three former missing members of Blood. Now, we're almost a complete unit. We're only missing Julius.

"I've been preparing a lot of food today to celebrate your return." Mutsumi speaks up, having come out of the lounge to greet Ciel, Nana and Gilbert in person.

"A party? That sounds great!" Kota speaks up as soon as he hears Mutsumi's comment. "Maybe we can get Yuno to sing for us again." He continues before leaving the group. I assume he's checking if Yuno is actually at the Far East. If not, then I guess we'll have no singing at our party.

"So, you found your missing party members." I turn to the right to address the person who spoke to me directly. I'm not part of crowd surrounding Gilbert, Nana and Ciel, instead I stand off to the side while Livie has went to report the news to Director Feldman; and most likely giving details of the new Aragami.

"And you thought I wouldn't find them, Shun." I can reply with a smile now that my crew is safe.

"I didn't say anything like that." He retorts, annoyed at how I pointed out his lack of enthusiasm when he last spoke to me about this subject. Back then, only Gilbert had been found and he was starving when we did come back. I'm surprised to see that Ciel still hasn't eaten anything yet. Maybe all of this excitement has made her have a lack of appetite. Or maybe the excitement of our confessions hasn't worn off yet. It hasn't worn off for me anyway.

"Of course, you didn't." I continue leaning against the wall, a smug smile on my face. "Still though, I win." I glance at him. I know how competitive Shun is and I know this will rile him up. I'm aware of his efforts in the search for my three missing team members, and that just makes me want to annoy him seeing as how his efforts were fruitless. Mine, on the other hand, weren't. I can't help the sinister smile that spreads across my face.

"Yeah, alright." Shun's surprising words make my smile drop and I can't help the confused sound that escapes my mouth.

"Huh? You're not mad that you lost?" I try riling him up again. Quite frankly, having rescued Ciel and having my feelings for her returned put me in a hell of a great mood. This mood has made it so that I could do things I otherwise wouldn't do, like annoy Shun. Usually, he annoys me. So, I thought it would be a good change of pace to do things the other way around. I never expected him to give up so easily. It's out of character.

"Well, you rescued your teammates. That deserves recognition. Maybe you're good enough to be my student after all." He gives a confident smirk. That's a lot more like him.

"No thanks. My Unit and I still have a job to do, after all." I reply to him, a friendly smile on my face.

"You're going after Julius next?" Another voice joins our conversation and the owner of said voice walks up to us, standing beside me and waiting for me to speak.

"That's right, Soma. We're on a roll. The only thing we need to do now is rescue Julius and our objective will be complete." I respond to Soma's question to which he gives a look that mirrors mine.

"And the Intelligence Centre will be gone too." I know that Soma isn't really fond of Director Feldman, but enough to want him gone as soon as possible? I didn't think that Soma hated the guy. "And hey, you're in luck." I blink in confusion at his words. I wait for him to continue speaking. "Shun's, Karel's and Gina's squad were able to set up a campsite near where we think Julius is." I'm not sure what to feel at the moment. On one hand, it's great to know that there is an expected location to find Julius. On the other hand, I had forgotten that Shun, Karel and Gina were all captains now and have their own squads.

"Wait," I turn to Shun who is merely smiling at Soma's recognition. "You're a Captain? You're actually in charge of a squad? I thought that Sakaki was just joking when he gave you a promotion." My words earn a chuckle from the doctor beside me.

"Of course, I'm a Captain, and a better one than you. You know what, I don't even want you as a student anymore. We don't need your abilities among us." He gives an annoyed wave as he breaks away from Soma and I, instead deciding to leave the floor completely.

"I probably should have thanked him for doing that." I give a nervous chuckle at Shun's unexpected reaction.

"You can do that later. Shall I brief you on Julius' approximate location?" He asks me, although I'mm sure he's aware that he doesn't need to ask.

"Definitely." I respond simply, unable to wait for the briefing.

"Then follow me." I follow Soma all the way to his Laboratory. "I should tell you though, it's a bit too early for you to go and rescue him. You should wait until tomorrow and give your friends a chance to rest." I nod my head in confirmation and understanding. With that, he begins the briefing.

Soma's briefing lasts a few hours as I want to make absolutely sure to burn the approximate location of Julius into my mind. By the time I go back down to the lounge, the crowd has since dispersed around the room. I look around to try and locate Ciel. When my eyes land on her, I notice that she's busy talking to a group of other people. Not as large a group as the crowd from before, but still quite a few people. Knowing that I'll not get the chance to talk to her for a while, I order a drink from Mutsumi before choosing to mingle with Kota and Gilbert who are playing pool. I assume that Kota was unable to find any source of entertainment for the party other than the pool table.

After only an hour, I decide to leave the party after having three games of pool against both Kota and Gilbert. Unfortunately, I wasn't able to win a single game and left the party feeling slightly depressed at that, and the fact that I haven't been able to be with Ciel yet. I enter Blood's quarters and find my room, opening the door before collapsing onto the bed. In the four hours that I've been back at the Den, the sun has since disappeared and a large full moon takes its place in the sky. I look towards my clock and see that it reads 21:39. With nothing else better to do, I close my eyes and let my consciousness go.

I open my eyes again only to be met with a lack of light in my room. I turn towards my clock and see that only two hours have passed. My inability to stay asleep must be because of the extra nap that I took earlier in the morning, before we rescued Ciel.

"Cedrick? Are you in there?" I hear a voice from the other side of my door. It can't possibly be Ciel, can it? Why would she come to my room. I get up from my bed.

"Is someone there?" I ask as I head over to the door. Opening it reveals the girl that I confessed to earlier in the day. "Ciel?"

"Hi, Cedrick." She gives me a smile before she turns her head away. "Can I come in?"

"Of course." I quickly scramble to answer her as I realise I was merely staring, hence why she turned away. I move out of the way of the door and gesture to her to enter.

"Your room is still as clean as ever." I'm not sure whether Ciel's comment is genuine or sarcastic, although the last time I was in her room the floor was full of paper. She finds her way to my bed.

"Sorry, I was just having a nap."

"Did I wake you?" She asks in consideration.

"You didn't actually. I woke up seconds before I heard your voice." I can feel the awkwardness of this conversation and I'm sure she can hear it now. I walk over towards her as she sits on my bed. I sit beside her. "I didn't get the chance to talk to you. It seemed like everyone else also wanted to speak with you, so I never got my chance." I give a nervous chuckle.

"I wasn't able to get away from them. I wanted to talk with you as well, but they wouldn't leave me alone." I see her cheeks turn red despite the lack of light. "So, what are we?" She asks to my surprise.

"What do you mean?" I'm too confused, I don't know what she is talking about.

"Are we boyfriend and girlfriend? Or are we more than that?" She places her head in her hands. "I'm sorry." She almost squeals. "I've never been in this situation before, I don't know what happens next." I place an arm around her shoulders, smiling at her lack of knowledge on the subject, something which I don't hesitate to tell her.

"You're so knowledgeable in a ton of things, but you don't know about this?" I can't help the chuckle that escapes me.

"Don't tease me." She speaks, her head still in her hands.

"I'm sorry, Ciel. Yes, we are boyfriend and girlfriend. We can't get any more than that yet; not without getting married." I feel her twitch and the mention of marriage.

"I think we're a bit far off marriage yet." She speaks up as she finally removes her head from her hands.

"I think so too. We can't skip the dating part." I tighten my hold on her shoulders, although now that she's sitting up properly, I can't help but feel nervous as our heads are so close to each other.

"Although if the Devouring Apocalypse comes to fruition, we'll be unable to do anything like that." Ciel voices her negative thoughts.

"It's funny you mention that. I had a talk with Soma earlier. We have an approximation of Julius' location, or the Singularity as he spoke of."

"Really?" I can see her eyes brighten up, the thoughts of the Devouring Apocalypse almost quelled. I give a confident nod with a smile on my face.

"We'll probably be told to investigate the area tomorrow. If we're lucky, we may even be able to rescue Julius." She lets her head rest against my shoulder at the news, finally able to relax.

"If that's the case, we should probably rest and get ready for tomorrow." She comments, a smile on her face as she continues resting on my shoulders. Despite her words, she doesn't leave my side and I don't complain. "I don't want to go though." Her words warm my heart.

"We can stay like this for a little longer. As much as I love this, we can't spend too long doing this. We'll need our rest for tomorrow; if we do run into Julius, there's a high chance that Dr. Rachel will throw everything at us to stop us from leaving with him."

"I saw her, you know." I merely rub Ciel's head as she speaks. "She tried to convince me to join her side. She said she'd forgive all of our sins if we serve her."

"She said the same thing to me a long time ago. Gilbert said that Rachel took the form of Kate and tried to exploit his emotions to get him to join her side."

"That's disgraceful. Such actions can't be forgiven." I can feel the disdain in Ciel's voice.

"Nana is the only one who didn't directly see Rachel." I feel Ciel's head move into a nod whilst leaning on my shoulder.

"She told me that she saw her mother. That was Dr. Rachel, wasn't it?" She already knows the answer after I explained about Gilbert's scenario with her, but she asks me in order to continue the conversation.

"Yeah. She appeared to me in person."

"She can't be forgiven." I quick rubbing Ciel's head, my heart continuing to warm despite the topic of conversation. I suspect Ciel is also feeling something as shows no sign of moving.

"We really should stop here." I stop rubbing her head to further emphasise my thought, removing my arm from around her shoulders as well. After a minute of silence between us, Ciel removes her head from my shoulder.

"Yeah." I can feel the sadness in her voice and it kills me, but given the situation we can't do anymore. I walk her towards my door, opening it for her and she leaves. However, she doesn't head back to her room, she stays standing outside of my room, facing me. "Cedrick, I know I don't know a lot about relationships but… Well… don't hate me for this." She extends her hands towards my head and turns it to the side. That's when I feel something soft against my cheek. Whatever the sensation, it makes my heart beat like crazy and I almost collapse where I'm standing. It doesn't take long for me to realise that the woman before me has just kissed me. As she lets go of my head and moves away from me, I unconsciously grab the cheek I was kissed on. "Goodnight, Cedrick." I can't help but smile lovingly towards her.

"Goodnight, Ciel. Sweet dreams." After our goodnights have been said, Ciel walks away from my room and into hers. I watch her as she walks, my eyes never once leaving her. "I chose the right woman." I comment to myself before closing my bedroom door and walking to my bed. I collapse onto it and instantly feel sleepy. "I guess this is what happens when you're given a goodnight kiss." I comment again before my consciousness slips away.


	129. Chapter 129 - Beginning of the End

Chapter 129

DISCLAIMER: I DO NOT OWN THE GOD EATER FRANCHISE HOWEVER I DO OWN MY OC.

Also, please leave a review!

Name: Cedrick Esparza  
Gender: Male  
Hairstyle: Style 7 (Dark Brown)

God Arc: Pyramus (Long Blade), F-SD Launcher II (Blast Gun), Kurogane Tower D (Tower Shield)  
Blood Art: IE Mk4: Detonate IV

Waking up the next day, I complete my morning rituals and go to the lounge for breakfast. The food from the cafeteria is like a nightmare, but it's good to have a nightmare every once in a while. It helps to keep you thankful for the good things in life.

"Good morning, Cedrick." Speaking about the good things in life, I hear my chirpy girlfriend speak up before she sits down beside me.

"Good morning to you too, Ciel." I reply with as much happiness in my voice as there is in hers. "Did you have a good night's sleep?" I ask her curiously. After how we finished last night, I have no doubt that she did indeed have a peaceful sleep. My hand unconsciously reaches for my cheek again. However, I realise a moment later that my hand is stroking my cheek and quickly play it off as though I was rubbing my eye before moving my hand to pick up a boiled potato that was sitting on my plate.

"Yes, It was one of the best night's sleep I've had in a long time." She answers my question and silence ensues us for a few moments. It isn't an awkward silence at all though, we're just relishing being in each other's company. Oh how I have waited for a day like this. "Mutsumi," She addresses the cook behind the bar who walks towards her, "Can I place an order?"

"Sure thing, Ciel. What do you want?" Mutsumi replies happily. It seems that even though Ciel and Mutsumi aren't exactly the best of friends, even the little girl missed seeing Ciel over the past few days.

"Um…" Ciel thinks to herself before her attention wanders over to me. "I'll have the same thing Cedrick has." I hear her words and, even if there is no ulterior motive behind them, they make me feel warm as well. This may be one of Ciel's attempts to get closer to me, to find out what food I like. However, I could be looking into it too much.

"Are you sure you want something like that so early in the morning?" Mutsumi responds in confusion, "It's not usually the sort of thing you'd have for breakfast." She continues. Mutsumi is right though, what I have on my plate is three potatoes (it would have been four but I've already eaten one), two large pieces of broccoli, two large pieces of cauliflower, green beans, some sort of synthetic meat which doesn't taste all that great, all covered in gravy. I had decided to get something big for breakfast as I feel like I'm going to need all of the energy I gain from it.

"It's called a roast dinner, apparently. Right, Mutsumi?" I educate Ciel on the name of this dish. Mutsumi gives a nod of confirmation. "A lot of calories in this too." I speak as I cut off part of the synthetic meat. Apparently, Dr. Sakaki had managed to grow this meat like a plant. From what I've heard of the past, this wasn't really a common thing. So, it is a relatively new invention; as can be told by the lack of taste that it has. Regardless, it's apparently nutritious; good for the body.

"I'm sure I'll manage it." Ciel speaks with a smile. I look towards her, maybe it's my imagination but I think that she's moved herself and her chair slightly closer to me.

"You can have some of mine before you order." I suggest to her. "Just to make sure that you like it." Not waiting for her response, I start cutting small portions off of each group of food.

"Really?" Ciel expresses her surprise with a happy voice.

"That's a good idea, Captain." Mutsumi agrees with my line of thought. I stab into the slice of synthetic meat with my fork, making sure to rub it around the gravy to get more onto the bitesize piece. I then turn to Ciel,

"Say, ah." I place a hand under the piece of food so that the gravy doesn't drip onto the desk, floor or anything else and move the fork towards Ciel's mouth. I smile at Ciel's face as I realise she has turned slightly red.

"A-a-ah." She says nervously as she opens her mouth before I place the bitesize piece on her tongue. Her lips close around the fork and helps to keep the food in her mouth as I pull the fork out of it. I like my hand as I realise some gravy dripped onto it. She takes a few bites as I prepare the next bitesize piece; this time I choose one of the pieces of broccoli and make sure that it is some gravy on it. "It doesn't really taste of anything." Ciel speaks as she swallows the food. "Oh, I hope I didn't upset you, Mutsumi." She quickly adds, thinking she may have hurt Mutsumi's feelings.

"Don't worry about it. I warned Cedrick before he ate it that it won't taste like anything. It's nutritious though; it's good for your body. It helps in the building and repairing of tissues in the body."

"Are you ready for the next bite?" I ask Ciel, moving my body back towards her so I can put the fork into her mouth again. Ciel looks from Mutsumi then back to me and then back to Mutsumi, and then back to me. I notice Ciel's face becomes a brighter shade of red. I look to Mutsumi as well as see a large, smug smile on her face.

"I-I'll do it." She takes the fork from my hand and places the food into her mouth by herself. Ciel must have been embarrassed by being fed. I can't help but feel warm at the situation that I had thought nothing of before. I kind of wish I could do it again now that I missed the feeling earlier.

"That's pretty bold, Ciel." Mutsumi speaks as Ciel places the fork down on my plate and backs away from the plate so she can chew the food. "You already know what Broccoli tastes like. You've had it before." She continues teasing Mutsumi and I can't help but smile at the situation. Despite being a 9-year old girl, she knows more about romance than Ciel and I. "You only needed to know how the meat and the gravy tasted, you've had everything else before." Ciel ignores Mutsumi as she swallows her mouthful.

"I'll order the same thing, please." Ciel desperately tries to ignore Mutsumi's teasing even though ordering the same thing as your boyfriend could cause more teasing. It's a heart-warming scene to see Ciel so embarrassed. I do feel slightly apologetic for not interfering though.

"One roast dinner coming up." Mutsumi moves away from us and begins working on making Ciel's food. Ciel nervously looks around the room before I feel her staring at me as I stab another piece of meat with my fork and move it towards my mouth. However, it never reaches my mouth as I feel a pair of hands on my arm, preventing me from moving the fork any further towards my mouth.

"Wait!" She almost whispers and keeps a hold of my arm until she realises I'm not going to move the fork any closer to my mouth.

"Is something wrong, Ciel?" Maybe Mutsumi's teasing got to her? She takes the fork from my hand and takes the mouthful of food from it, putting it into her mouth instead. That's not where it ends though as she takes another fork from the appropriate cutlery rack and puts it on my plate instead. Why would she want my fork? I'm not sure I understand the situation here...

"Now, you can continue eating." She informs me, a large red blush on her face. I pick up the new fork and cut off another piece of meat before putting it into my mouth and eating it. I do this a few more times with the other pieces of food as I wait for Ciel to calm down. I'm not really sure why she would be blushing though. Wait… She used that fork, didn't she? That means that her saliva is on that fork, but mine was already on it before she… I get it now. It's an indirect kiss. That explains her embarrassment. Still though, I'm quite hurt that I don't get an indirect kiss now. I continue eating, and just as I finish my food, Mutsumi gives Ciel her food.

"Here you go, one roast dinner has been served." Mutsumi announces with a wide smile as she puts the plate onto the counter for Ciel who is also equipped with a fork and a knife. The same fork I used, might I add. "I'll take this." Mutsumi speaks up, noticing I'm finished with my plate and taking it from me so that she can clean it.

"Thanks, Mutsumi." I already paid for my meal while it was begin made, thus I don't need to give her my money. I look towards Ciel and see her cutting all of her food into bitesize pieces rather than eating one piece and then cutting another piece. I also see her flick her head towards me a couple of times and then towards Mutsumi as she walks to the sink to clean my plate.

"Cedrick," She speaks up and I notice her placing a hand under her fork. "Say, ah." Her hand moves towards me so quickly that I don't even get the chance to do as she says as she shoves her fork into my mouth. It's not the food that I'm focused on right now though, the fork that she has just taken out of my mouth was the same fork that she had used to eat my food with. This is an indirect kiss! I feel my face heating up at the thought of this. I see her stab a piece of broccoli and move her body towards me again. Before she can say anything though, we are interrupted,

"Captain Cedrick Esparza of Blood Special Forces to the Meeting Room please." I hear Fran's voice through the speaker system in the lounge and feel everyone's gaze shift towards me. There's no chance that Ciel will feed me now that I have everyone's attention. With a disappointed sigh, I stand up from my seat.

"We should continue this another time, Ciel. It was fun." I inform her with a smile which only grows as I see her face become bright red again. I can only imagine that my face is the same shade of red as hers as I walk away and out of the lounge, heading to the meeting room.

Inside the meeting room, the first thing I notice is a lot of noise come from my side. I notice that Lindow, Soma and Director Sakaki are discussing something. Instead of walking to them, I walk straight towards the expectant Director Feldman and Dr. Leah.

"I'll get straight to business." He announces as I come to a stop in front of him. "We have detected incredibly intense Oracle Cell activity at the location of the Singularity signal." This must be a new development. I was only informed about Julius', or the Singularity's, location yesterday and there is already an increase in Oracle Activity? Dr. Rachel must be trying to make her move. "Blood…" He closes his eyes to emphasise the danger of the situation. "You are the only ones who can stand against it. If we cannot restore Julius as the Singularity, we will have no future. I implore you to do whatever it takes to stop Dr. Rachel's plans for the Devouring Apocalypse." He almost pleads with me, having reached his wit's end for the situation at hand. With those being his final words, I bow to him.

"We will stop Rachel's plans. You can count on it." I leave the meeting room with those words and head back to the same floor as the lounge. Before I can reach the Operator's Desk, to try and gather my Unit, Livie who was hanging out on the floor stops me from doing so.

"It won't be long until we reach the Singularity above." She speaks ominously. "Before we do, I have something I'd like to share… I believe that Dr. Rachel's will is already very close to Julius—to the Singularity. We must hurry." Her words confirm my suspicions that Dr. Rachel must be making a move right as we speak. "If for some reason we don't make it in time and the Apocalypse begins, I plan to release Heart to stop it." Romeo's Blood Power… "I know it can't really even be called a strategy, and I don't know if it will work… but still…"

"You can't bear this alone, Livie. We'll all be there to fight off the Devouring Apocalypse." I give her my own words with a confident smile.

"I see…" She chuckles lightly, "You're right. I suppose I would just ask that you stay beside me until the very end… I think… I can be stronger that way…"

"As the Captain of Blood Special Forces, I will be beside all of my team members should we fail in our mission."

"No matter what happens, we must do everything in our power to end this. And then… We will all reach the Singularity and save Julius!" She gives an enthusiastic response for the first time in a long while. I give her a confident nod before rushing towards the Operator's Desk and telling Fran to make the announcement to all of Blood that we'll be meeting on the roof in ten minutes. That should give just enough time for everyone to prepare for the mission ahead… After telling Fran this I grab my God Arc and make sure I am appropriately equipped. This is most likely going to be our final battle.


	130. Chapter 130 - The End

Chapter 130

DISCLAIMER: I DO NOT OWN THE GOD EATER FRANCHISE HOWEVER I DO OWN MY OC.

Also, please leave a review!

Name: Cedrick Esparza  
Gender: Male  
Hairstyle: Style 7 (Dark Brown)

God Arc: Pyramus (Long Blade), F-SD Launcher II (Blast Gun), Kurogane Tower D (Tower Shield)  
Blood Art: IE Mk4: Detonate IV

Landing at the Bridge of Divine Selection: Edge, we begin Phase One of our mission. This phase consists of defeating a Magna Gawan, a Yaksha Tivra and an Ontovasara. Dr. Rachel is definitely throwing everything she can at us to stop us from saving Julius. Immediately to our left as we land, we see the Yaksha Tivra. We all decide that splitting up now would be too dangerous, and thus decide to combat the Aragami together. Making sure to get in close without it hearing us, I use my God Arc's most powerful form of Devouring to inflict damage to the beast and extract three Aragami bullets that I can use against it. I immediately do so as the beast roars in anguish and surprise, yet the three bullets hit it directly in the shoulder as it turns towards its attackers; us. Not missing a beat, Nana takes the opportunity to slam her hammer-like God Arc down onto the previously targeted shoulder. Ciel keeps her distance and fires bullets straight at the same part. It seems as though we've identified its shoulder as the target. The beast attempts to assert its dominance by slashing at the ground towards us. We easily avoid it, however, and back off from it. It then kneels down and aims its gun at Gilbert. He is the first one to react though and simply moves out of the gun's line of sight. It takes time for the Aragami to fire so we have a couple of seconds to land some possibly critical hits.

It doesn't take long for the Yaksha Tivra to fall, but with its final roar as it does, it attracts the attention of the nearby Aragami; the Magna Gawain _and_ the Ontovasara.

"Well, this situation has just gotten a little bit more difficult. Ciel, you're with me. Livie, Nana, Gilbert you've got the Magna Gawain." Nana's crushing attacks should be effective against the panther-like Aragami. Then again, it would also be effective against the crocodilian Aragami. I suppose the only reason why I'm not fighting the Gawain is because of the attribute likability. My Blaze-type Arc would be ineffective against it, while I can still deal a standard amount of damage to the Ontovasara.

"Just because you're a couple, it doesn't mean you should do everything together." Gilbert gives a cocky remark before charging towards the Magna Gawain. His words manage to baffle Ciel and I for a couple of seconds, but we soon shake off his comment and shift our attention to the crocodile. I deploy my shield instantly as it slides towards us on its stomach. Ciel side steps out of its way and lands a couple of hits on its tail as it slides past her. As soon as its sliding attack is over, I slash my Arc into the air and fire a ton of small bullets directly at its face. The direct hits prove to be effective as it unbinds the Ontovasara's head.

"Good job, Cedrick!" Ciel congratulates my success with a smile on her face while continuing her onslaught on the rest of the Aragami's body. Purple electricity crackles on its tail and a pillar of light shoots up from my feet. Luckily, I was able to backstep and deploy my shield before it hit me.

"Stun grenade!" I shout what I'm about to use and close my eyes as I throw it down. Once I open my eyes, I see the beast has been stunned. I use these extra few seconds to land a lot of very damaging blows to its head before performing a quick devour. The beast thrashes as it recovers from the stun and tries to bite me, arching its next to the side while its mouth is infested with more purple electricity. I easily avoid it, but Ciel shoots a healing bullet at me anyway. I slash at the beast again where it falls to the ground, breathing rapidly.

"Did that bullet have attack enhancing abilities?" I ask Ciel while hacking away at the monster's head. Every hit looks as though it deals super-effective damage to it.

"Yes. It increases your attack power at the cost of Oracle Points. I know you don't use your gun as often as you could do, so I thought it would be the perfect bullet for you." Ciel responds with a happy smile, knowing that I'm happy for her bullet while she hacks away at the beast's tail and manages to unbind it. She must have created this bullet before she went missing as she mustn't have had the time to create it yesterday.

"I think it is. Good work, Ciel!" I'm genuinely happy that she made something with me in mind. If I'm able to hit stronger at the cost of Oracle Points, then it's definitely worth it.

A short time later, the Ontovasara falls, never to awake again. After a congratulatory high five, we help Gilbert, Nana and Livie with the larger Aragami. I inject a couple of O-Ampules into my God Arc and fire a couple of healing bullets towards my friends.

"Have you created any bullets for anyone else?" I ask her, seeing as how she stands by my side and also fires healing bullets.

"Not yet. You were the first." Her words warm my heart, something which she has been doing frequently since she was rescued. It only takes another few minutes of switching between healing bullets and damaging bullets that the Magna Gawain also falls to the ground.

"Everyone," I get their attention, "Devour the materials and move up. Our next destination is the Bridge of Divine Selection: Final. Julius is close. After we've cleared that area, we'll be able to see him. Don't forget that Dr. Rachel will try to stop us, so if you see anything strange, mention it." I give a small, motivational speech to my crew and receive cheers from the more energetic members of it. Livie and Ciel, on the other hand, merely nod their heads with smiles on their faces. They then set off to devour the Aragami for materials, but after that we move out.

We quickly arrive at the Bridge of Divine Selection: Final. So far, there are no signs of Julius being in the area. Instead, two God Arc Soldiers are in the area. A wild Buster Arc Soldier and a wild Blade Arc Soldier. They aren't too close to each other, so we should be able to split the group and fight them both at the same time.

"We should split up." Livie thinks the same thing as I did. "Gilbert, Nana and Ciel, you three take on the wild Buster Arc Soldier. The Captain and I will defeat the Blade Arc Soldier." I don't particularly agree with these groups, I would prefer to be with Ciel. One look towards her shows that she is thinking the same thing as our eyes meet.

"You want to split up the couple?" Gilbert asks mockingly although surprised at Livie's actions.

"The battlefield is no place for love." Livie responds with pretty harsh words. "Love can affect your thinking. The sooner the Captain and Vice-Captain learn that, the sooner they can continue with their relationship on the battlefield." I hate to say it, but Livie's words are true. So easily can a person be swayed by love. When you're in the company of someone you love, your guard can be dropped pretty easily. It happened to my parents, and it could happen to me if I'm not careful.

"You're right." I give a disappointed sigh. "There's a chance that we'd let our guard down around each other." I tell them although I look at Ciel directly. "There'll be plenty of time to discuss our future after we rescue Julius." I see Ciel's face turn slightly red but she quickly turns away.

"All right, Gilbert, Nana, let's go." The three of them rush off towards the Buster God Arc Soldier.

"I apologise that I had to put you in this situation." I turn to Livie as she speaks. "I know that you're both great God Eaters and that you want to catch up on lost time, but for this mission, you need to think with a clear head."

"No problem, Livie. It's a lesson I would learn sooner rather than later." I'm sure Ciel thinks the same way.

"Then let's go." She runs off towards the Blade Arc Soldier and I follow closely behind her.

As expected, the wild God Arc Soldiers don't even hold a candle against the five of us and after only five minutes, we continue running through the area. Eventually, we reach the top of the Spiral Tree. Numerous grey clouds surround us with only very few rocks between the edge of the Spiral Tree and the world below. However, there is one thing that is very clear up here, and it's what we've been searching for all along. In the centre of a large bombardment of spikes lies a red orb in the middle of one of the spikes. Extending from the orb and into it is numerous smaller grey spikes that all led out from the centre of the orb. Within the orb is the man we've not seen since our goodbyes shortly after Romeo's death. In the orb is the Singularity; Julius Visconti. He looks awful. His blonde hair hands over his shoulders and his naked torso can be seen by all. The lower half of his body is either missing, or completely enshrouded by the spikes leading from him. We hear footsteps coming from above us and continue looking at the orb until a woman clad in black emerges from behind it.

"You have dispelled the fog of deceptions, and so will see the end clearly." Dr. Rachel walks towards Julius and almost obstructs our view of him.

"Dr. Rachel…" Livie expresses her surprise at seeing her. This is the first time she has seen her previous caregiver since she left Magnolia Compass. It is hardly surprising that she would react in this way. Just the sight of her most likely brings back the mental trauma that she inflicted upon Livie.

"Our drama has already been written. The rises and falls. The fear and doubt and pain. The Restless God and I crafted the finale long ago." Dr. Rachel clasps her hands together and pulls them to her chest as she closes her eyes in reminisce. She unclasps her hands as her eyes open and her eyes betray her words. "Only you, my loved ones, still refuse to play your appointed parts. You struggle in vain upon the stage that I have built." I've noticed this for a while now, but the black butterflies around us seem to be more of a black gas instead. It quickly rises into the air where it disappears. However, it is continuously flowing. I really hope that it isn't some sort of poisonous gas. "It saddens me that I have to rewrite your lines for a far more tragic end. But at the least, you will be remembered. In this new mythos…" Despite the fact that Dr. Rachel is going into her typical villainous monologue, I nor my teammates let our guards down. We know that Rachel isn't above using underhanded means in order to win. We have to be careful. "You will be cast as villains! Traitors, vile and pathetic, who tried and failed to stop the coming of the dawn. The second Creation!"

"Enough already! Give Julius back!" Gilbert shouts, losing his patience with the woman in front of us as he threatens her by extending his Arc in her direction. This does little but make the woman laugh.

"Please, your sweet words and strong voices are wasted on him." She closes her eyes and holds her hands to her chest in an attempt to make a loving gesture. However, in my eyes, it is anything but loving. "Julius is mine, as he always has been. Behold… how he heeds his mistress now." She places a hand on the red orb Julius is contained within. She quickly turns her entire attention towards the man in the orb, placing her other hand on the orb as well. "Come, Julius. It's time to wake up. Let free the shadow upon these skies." As if responding to her call a large gust of wind blows around the surface they stand on.

"Julius!" Ciel shouts, not believing what is happening.

"Hold on tight, Julius! You gotta fight her! We won't let Dr. Rachel have you!" Nana chips in, giving encouraging words to our former Captain. A blue light pulsates through and around the red orb as if responding to Dr. Rachel's touch.

"Captain! Let's do it!" Gilbert shouts, his voice full of conviction. I prepare my Arc just like how the others prepare theirs.

"Together, Julius and I will see my Spiral Tree bear fruit. We need little else." Dr. Rachel speaks, her hands no longer on the orb and instead held tightly against her chest as the wind continues blowing around them, also around her are numerous black butterflies. Many more of their brethren join the fray and form to create a new beast. I can't help but backstep at the sheer horror of its appearance. This new Aragami looks very much like Dr. Rachel has combined with an Ouroboros. It at least has the sheer size of one. Four large, Ouroboros-like legs sprout from her while her hands are held firmly against her chest. Her boobs sway back and forth, but given what they belong to, I don't feel anything by looking at them. Its skin is a pale white while its blonde hair blows in the wind. A large, thick halo floats horizontally about three metres above her back. It is truly a sickening sight to behold. "The proscenium broken!" She can still talk! Fucking hell! "Only your sacrifice is required now. As Romeo fell, so must you all… Breathe life into my new world!" The beast staggers towards us and we prepare for battle.

The Dr. Rachel-Aragami hybrid walks closer towards us and we immediately split up. With a beast as large as this, you need to target the legs. That's what all of my encounters with the Ouroboros family have taught me. I rush towards the left front and swipe at it with my God Arc. However, after only two swipes a dark mist begins growing at its feet. I immediately deploy my shield as I notice it and only a moment later, a barrage of spikes appear from it. The Aragami moves and the spikes follow it. The monster comes to a stop near the edge of the Spiral Tree. Not wanting to get any closer, I convert my Arc to its Gun Form and fire as many Blaze type bullets at its legs. A good amount hit the beast and seem to do a fair bit of damage. The Aragami staggers slightly but only as it decides which of us to go after.

"You look weak." The Aragami comments and stampedes towards Nana as she delivers a hit with her hammer to the monster's leg. However, she isn't able to deploy her shield in time and is sent hurtling backwards several metres with a scream of pain.

"Nana!" Gilbert shouts in anger. I inject an O-Ampule into my God Arc and fire a healing bullet towards the tiring girl who stumbles to her feet.

"You're letting your emotions get the better of you, Gil." It wasn't one of us that said that, it was the Aragami. I look back towards the Aragami and see that Gilbert is getting sloppy with his attacks.

"Calm yourself, Gil!" I shout at him, locking him on target and firing a healing bullet towards him as I see the Aragami form of Dr. Rachel going in for a critical blow. My bullet manages to find him just after the attack and so heals him of some damage instantly. Out of Oracle Points, I change my Arc back to Melee Form and charge towards the hybrid. I stop myself after running a few metres to deploy my shield to avoid a barrage of orb attacks from the monster. As soon as I think it's safe, I run straight towards it, slashing at its legs numerous times before I see the familiar pool of black at my feet. I choose to side step it instead of deploying my shield to land one extra hit against the Aragami's leg. However, instead of moving like I expected it to do, it arches its back. I try to back off from the beast to learn of what it will do at a safe distance. However, I run out of stamina just as a pool of yellow forms around the beast. I'm only a few metres away from being outside of its radius, but I don't manage to escape it in time.

"ARGH!" I can't help but shout as a yellow beam shoots down from the halo above the monster.

"Did I get you?" The Aragami asks smugly. I was able to deploy my shield just before I was hit, so I am not too badly injured. I feel a couple of bullets hit me in the side and instantly feel revitalised. I realise that someone shot me with healing bullets and give them my gratitude with a thank you before I charge back towards the beast. I slash at its legs again as the Aragami chuckles and attempts to fire a beam of light towards my teammates that are hanging back. They are able to defend themselves from the attack though. The yellow pool forms around us again. This time, I'm able to escape and change my Arc to Gun Form to fire a few bullets at its leg. Having depleted all of my Oracle Points again, I wait for the Aragami's attack to finish before I charge in with my Arc in Melee Form; performing multiple quick devours and shooting the bullets I obtain directly at its legs.

"Ha!" I shout as the beast screams in pain as the bullets cause its front legs to unbind. It stumbles to the ground, the pain being too much for it for the time being and I swing my Arc relentlessly at its exposed skin. This continues for a short amount of time as the hybrid manages to find its feet again. It holds its hands into the air, away from its chest, and multiple orbs form around the beast. I deploy my shield and defend myself from an onslaught of orbs heading straight at me. While it was distracted with me though, I notice that Livie was able to sneak under the beast and deploy a paralysis trap. If the beast moves even one inch, then it will be paralysed. I run towards the beast with my God Arc held out to my side. I try to force the movement by directly attacking the unbound leg. My plan works as it stumbles backwards.

"It's held! Take it down!" Livie shouts as the monster withdraws into itself and tries to fight through the paralysis. I, meanwhile, continue a relentless onslaught against the monster's leg. Ciel and Nana join me as we hit the same leg.

"Just wait until I break out of this!" The Aragami speaks up in anger. It's clear that we're annoying it. The fact is though, this beast should exist to begin with. "Then you'll be sorry!" It shouts and its body quickly unfurls, showing that it has actually broken free of the paralysis.

"Back off!" I command to the two that were attacking the same leg as me; Nana and Ciel follow my command and not a moment too soon as a yellow pool forms around the monster and the beam rains down from its halo. I change my Arc to Gun Form and fire from a distance; having obtained a complete bar of Oracle Points from my slashing attacks. Once again, the monster raises its arms and a barrage of orbs scatters around us. I narrowly avoid being hit by a few of them by sidestepping away from them. Ciel manages to deploy her shield and Nana simply wasn't targeted. Pools of black emerge around the beast's feet and this time they scatter along six equal directions. This attack fizzles out before it reaches me though. The monster jumps backwards as it feels a sharp stab to an unbound leg, courtesy of Gilbert. I shoot towards the same leg that Gilbert hit and see the beast fall to the ground with another pained scream. This time, instead of rushing towards the leg, I run towards its face and begin relentlessly slashing my Arc at it. I even perform a quick devour onto its face as the monster somehow manages to get back up.

"I'll kill you! I'll kill you all!" The beast shouts through laboured breaths, clearly almost defeated. I look at my Blood Rage bar on my God Arc and see that it reads at the maximum reading; 400%. I choose to activate it and not a moment too soon as the beast's leg comes crashing down in an attempt to flatten me. I move away from it instinctively although I wouldn't have been damaged anyway as the yellow veil around me protects me from damage.

"Activating Blood Rage!" I inform my teammates and select all available pledges to power me up. This should allow me to deliver considerably stronger attacks to the beast while ignoring all damage that comes my way once it's activated. I shout commands to my teammates about which pledges I had chosen and soon all five of us are working towards completing them. It only takes 20 seconds before all of the pledges are complete and I activate Blood Rage, feeling the usual spike through my back and a lot of energy pouring throughout my body.

"Stun Grenade!" Gilbert shouts as he throws one to the ground near the beast.

"I'm blind! I can't see!" The beast shouts as it tries to overcome the stun. I take this opportunity to strike its face several times and successfully unbind it. I then move towards its back legs just as the stun wears off and manage to unbind them as well. The hybrid falls to the ground in an unmoving heap although it is breathing very heavily. Sensing the opportunity, my teammates gather around the beast and relentlessly slash at it until eventually it stops breathing.

My team and I back away from the beast to check if it is actually dead while at a safe distance. It's a good job we are at a distance as only about ten seconds after it stops breathing, it begins breathing again. It begins crawling towards us but realising that it doesn't have the energy to continue doing so, it brings its arm into the air before slamming it down to the ground; it's final attack. My group and I deploy our shields in an attempt to block the onslaught of spike barrelling towards us. There is, however, one thing we forgot about. The spikes were coming from the ground; beneath us. They don't appear straight away, though, and this let's us drop our guard. That was the mistake, as soon as our guard was dropped, numerous spikes come hurtling from the ground and hold us in painful positions as we scream in pain. It's also a position we can't fight back in. I look back towards the beast to see that it has since gotten back onto its legs and is staggering towards Julius. The others notice this too and all we can hear is each other's grunts as we try and break free of our bindings.

"Julius…" The Aragami - Dr. Rachel hybrid continues staggering towards the man in the orb, one arm dragging across the ground and one arm propelling it forward. It manages to reach Julius despite our desperate attempts of breaking loose from the spikes holding us in place. "Ah, my precious Julius!" The monster manages to wrap her arms around the tree root holding Julius and the red orb. "I am your mother now, as I ever was, and you are my heart. I give my life for your birth." Our struggles grow more desperate. Whatever Rachel is trying to do to Julius won't be good. "Come, my Julius. Eat… Devour everything, my dear." We've got to move, now! Otherwise this will be the start of the Devouring Apocalypse! "Now… Observe, my love. Learn from mother's example."

"What is she doing?" Livie asks in a panic. It's an emotion I don't often here from her, or any of my comrades. I notice that she begins pulling on the red orb that houses Julius and tries to pry it free from the spike it's held within.

"They can't have you… They will never… take away… my…" She speaks to herself as she manages to pry it away from the tree and hold the orb in her hand. She holds our friend, our former Captain in her hands. "My Julius!"

"We must stop her! The Singularity could tear open!" Ciel protests as we continue struggling through our binds. The Rachel-Aragami hybrid exerts pressure on the orb, doing just that; tearing open the Singularity. A beam of black shoots into the air which quickly turns the sky black. A red circle appears in the air and the world is lit up by it. This is the start of the Devouring Apocalypse. I desperately pry at my chains as the Aragami holds Julius into the air. Its chest begins to open unnaturally, and I can see a core within it. I know what comes next and I won't allow that. I can't allow that! I struggle against my bindings as the Aragami brings Julius closer to its chest.

"No!" I struggle with all of my might and manage to break free of my bindings which shatter into the air. "Julius!" I jump towards the monster with everything I can muster, the Aragami's chest already beginning to close as Julius is put into its core. I grab onto the arm of the beast and push it away from the monster's chest. I push my hand deep into its chest before it can close and bring my other hand down onto its few ridges. "GAAHHHHHHHHHH!" Using all of my might, I pull its chest open and come face to face with my former Captain.

"AAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHH!" Rachel screams as I pull Julius out of her chest. Without her _heart_ as she calls him, she has to die and so comes crumbling to the ground a short distance from Julius and I. I hear the binds break on my teammates and they quickly try to recover from their harsh fall and regain their energy. At last, we have Julius back. Our mission is complete. "Mine…" The beast cries like a child having a tantrum would do. I'm not sure how Rachel is still alive, but she tries to get back to her feet. "Julius… Julius…" She doesn't have the energy to get back to her feet and so tries to crawl towards us. "My Julius… My… Julius…" I've since gotten to my feet with Julius hanging by my side as I hold his arm over my shoulder. Every time Rachel moves closer, I move further away. Eventually though, she can no longer move; she's finally dead. I move a little further away from her just to be safe before I move Julius so that he rests against the leg that I'm kneeling on. Thankfully, as I noticed earlier, the man has trousers on that covers the lower half of his body. Although, he still looks like crap. I place a hand on his head.

"Julius." I speak his name as my friends gather around. Nana crumbles to her knees and crawls towards her former captain. "Julius. It's time to wake up." I speak again. I can see his eyes flicker and can't help the smile that spreads across my face. The person that we have been unable to see, unable to spend time with, he's returned to us. His eyes open and I coax him into a sitting position.

"You…" he speaks as he tries to adapt to his surroundings.

"Welcome back, Julius." Nana crawls towards him, a beaming smile across her face.

"Nana…" He speaks her name too as he continues to adapt. He shifts his head towards me, the one holding him.

"Cedrick… It's… It's good to see you." His words are warm, before I can respond however, someone else does.

"We can chat later, Julius." We turn our attention to Gilbert as he speaks. "First, we gotta get you outta here. What do you say?" He offers Julius his hand. Julius gratefully takes it and pushes himself off the ground. I keep a hand on his back as he stands though, just to make sure he won't collapse. He hasn't stood in a long time after all, I wouldn't be surprised if his muscles had deteriorated to some degree. Judging that Julius can stand on his own, I let my hand leave his side.

"So, what happened here?" He looks around just as we do.

"Before the Devouring Apocalypse could break free," Ciel steps forward, a smile on her face and having the chance to talk with Julius again. "Rachel destroyed the core that held you. She wasn't herself. Not anymore…" As she speaks, the smile disappears from her face. "Tearing away the Singularity would cause untold destruction, or so Rachel said. Devastation far beyond that of an Apocalypse itself." She looks down, depressed at these words. So, is this it? We get Julius back, and now we die?

"I see… That's why." Julius speaks up. "My friends, I'm so sorry." It appears as though Julius has lost hope. He thinks he is the cause behind this untold tale worse than a Devouring Apocalypse. In reality, the fault lies entirely on Dr. Rachel. "If I'd been strong enough." He begins to break down.

"Julius." I simply say his name to get him to stop, my hand on his shoulder. "You… You're not alone anymore." He turns towards me as I speak. "We're strong, now. We're strong together." I tell not only him, but the rest of my friends. "Every one of us… and Romeo." We all look towards the Arc of the person that cannot be here. There's still one thing that can be done. Livie informed me of it before our mission today. My words receive nods and gestures of strength as each person accepts my words.

"Yes…" Even Julius accepts my words. "I'll follow wherever you lead, Captain." Knowing what I mean, Livie rotates Romeo's God Arc, ready to pierce the ground. Julius walks over to her and places his hand on top of hers. "Everyone… Are you ready?" As Julius speaks, I retrieve my own God Arc.

"Yeah!" Nana speaks enthusiastically, putting her hand on top of Julius' while also making sure her God Arc is facing the ground as well.

"It's about damn time." Gilbert chimes in as he places his hand on top of Nana's, ensuring his own Arc his facing the ground too.

"Of course." Ciel places her hand on top of Gilbert's while also planting her Arc into the ground. "I am ready to begin."

"And me. Let's do it." Livie speaks to me and gives a nod of her head.

"All right, Captain. At your command." Julius speaks up, their eyes focused on me. I place my hand on top of everyone else's and plant my own Arc into the ground. I breathe slightly before giving a confident look to my teammates and then begin exerting pressure, everyone else does the same. Streaks of gold light up periodically beneath us. We all grunt as we force everything we have into Romeo's God Arc. It doesn't take long before six tendrils spring up from Romeo's God Arc and pierce into our arms.

"All ready?" Julius asks.

"Ready!" Nana is as enthusiastic as always.

"Ready!" Gilbert gives a confident answer.

"Ready!" So too does Ciel.

"Ready!" Livie responds, knowing that if this plan works then we've saved the world.

"Ready!" I shout equally as confident and enthusiastic as the rest of my crew. As I put all of my force into this group effort, I feel a burst in energy and soon have the familiar feeling of a golden wheel protruding from my back. As we all exert energy, waves of gold rise into the air at a very fast pace. It doesn't take long before the gold energy replaces the red energy that was in the sky. "Aaaah!" I give everything I have into my Blood Rage and allow for a ton of energy to push through me and into Romeo's God Arc. If the six of us can pull this off, then Romeo's Blood Power still dormant in his God Arc should activate and repel our impending doom. The world turns white as our energy collects together and then eventually, I see a vision of Romeo walking. He comes to a stop and looks over his shoulder at me before also disappearing into the white.

Meanwhile…

Back at the Far East Branch, many people look towards the Spiral Tree as they observe its many changes. First, many purple bubbles began to form along the edges of the Spiral Tree and then they would burst. Leaving the blood red liquid they contained to pour out from the Spiral Tree and begin travelling towards the Far East Branch among other places. This leaves the Spiral Tree to no longer look like a tree as its form has once again taken shape. Instead, it looks like the torso of a person whose flesh had been torn off to reveal the ribs underneath. Among the onlookers are Dr. Soma, Director Sakaki and Director Feldman. The latter of the three not being able to watch as he comes to the realisation that the Devouring Apocalypse has started. Blood Special Forces and Livie were unable to contain the Devouring Apocalypse. And he is entirely at fault. He was put in charge of this mission and hasn't just suffered from one defeat. He's suffered from two. The first came when he was told to maintain the Spiral Tree, and this situation now is his second defeat and it would prove to be fatal to all mankind.

"Is that…" Dr. Soma speaks up as he notices something in the sky. Director Feldman looks up at the same thing. "A light?" Focusing closer in, a small beam of yellow firing towards the sky can be seen. However, that small light quickly becomes a large golden light that completely destroys the Spiral Tree. It also engulfs the same area that the Devouring Apocalypse had engulfed and stops the latter from continuing. In fact, it makes the Devouring Apocalypse withdraw in upon itself as the golden beam of light expands outwards, completely eradicating the dark skies.

With Cedrick…

A single light can be seen among the whiteness. A small yellow light that looks like a star.

"This light" A voice speaks from nowhere. A voice I've grown all too familiar with. After all, it belongs to the person we've just fought; Dr. Rachel. "is Romeo's power." I hear her words, but all I can see is that one light. Everything else is covered in a grey mist. "Now, as you wished, I no longer speak with the Restless God. Here, there is only silence. In that quiet, I can sense your voices. For the first time, I feel some measure of peace, and serenity." The light starts growing in size. "It's wonderful." Rachel's voice seems to give off the feeling that she is telling the truth. "One final request. One last test for you all. One I know you will pass." Another test? Rachel, come on! "Farewell, and live, my Blood. My loves…" I hear her words and for the first time since I was a rookie God Eater, I feel the warmth and love in Rachel's words. Only this time, I know I feel more loved that I had felt before. The past love Rachel had shown me was a lie, but this… this is a true familial love. "My children." The light begins to dim. I may not be able to forgive Rachel right now, but this is a good start. The dimming of the light quickly stops and instead, a whiteness overcomes me.

Elsewhere

A Fenrir helicopter flies in the sky and approaches the residue caused by unknown events.

"Team 1 entering the Oracle Cell Deactivation Zone. Switching to auxiliary." Somebody from within the helicopter communicates. It is clear that inside the helicopter is a research squad that have been sent out to investigate the new land form in the place of the Spiral Tree. "All clear."

"Remember, everyone, you've got less than 30 minutes in there. Proceed with the utmost caution. Over." Another voice responds to them in a commanding tone.

"Understood." The first person replies before the helicopter moves above the numerous icicle-like spikes.

Back with Cedrick…

The whiteness is removed from my vision and I let my eyes adjust to my surroundings. The first thing I notice is that there is a lake not far from where I am and lush greenery as far as the eye can see. I walk with no destination in mind. Looking up to the sky, I see that it is a clear, bright blue. Thus, one of two things must have happened. Either my team and I stopped the Devouring Apocalypse, or this is heaven. Looking around, I'm beginning to think it is the latter. There are so many different types of greenery here, I didn't even know that it was possible. I see a lot of flowers growing out of the ground and even hilly areas. The only things that I'm not sure about are the silver spikes sticking up through the ground that make multiple different types of shapes. I'm not sure why they would be in heaven, but I suppose to each their own. I continue walking.

"Captain!" I hear a voice that sounds suspiciously like Nana coming to my right. I turn and am pleasantly surprised to see Nana leading a group of three people; the other two people being Gilbert and Ciel. I turn towards them as they catch up to me. I'm honestly not sure what to think at the moment and can't even find the words to speak to them.

"Captain! Do you know what happened…? Where are we?" Ciel speaks professionally although I'm sure she'd love nothing more than to give me a hug. I'm mentally restraining myself from hugging her at the moment right now, but I suppose that Ciel's right in the fact that some professionalism is required at the moment.

"Whoa! You don't think we're dead, do you?" Nana's voice is serious and towards the end of her question the worry in her voice is clear.

"Maybe. Hehe!" Gilbert responds with a chuckle, "Look, no armlets anymore." As he says this, he moves his arm to show that he indeed has no armlet. "Feels good, huh?" I look at my own arm and see that I also do not have an armlet. Maybe we are dead.

"No way, that's a sign. Nooooo… Oh, man! We're totally for sure dead now!" Nana gives a dejected response and I can't help but smile at her antics.

"You seem rather lively to me." Julius' voice can be heard as walks towards us with a familiar look. He adorns his signature Fenrir clothing now instead of being half naked like moments ago. Walking alongside him is a woman with a red hood. We know by now that this is Livie. That red hood of hers is her own signature look.

"Julius! Livie! Wait… Does this mean we all died together?" Nana asks as she scampers towards the two newcomers.

"No, I don't think so." Julius first sounds unsure, but his confidence returns as he speaks. "This is… our world. Reborn after the Apocalypse."

"The Apocalypse! You mean everyone in the Far East… The whole entire world's just been devoured?" Nana expresses her confusion. I must admit, I'm starting to get a bit confused too.

"Nana, take a look at the mountains in the distance." Julius responds, not losing his cool at the cat-eared girl's antics. He points towards one of the mountains. "I'm almost certain it's formed of Oracle Cells, perhaps even the same cells that once formed the Spiral Tree."

"So, you believe the Devouring Apocalypse was interrupted somehow?" Ciel asks him, and I begin to believe that we're not actually dead.

"Yes, in so many words." He responds with unwavering conviction. "It's only a guess, but… I think the power in Romeo's God Arc, his real power, must have changed the Oracle Cells." He grows more confident as he speaks his theory. "It seems something far more gradual now. Not an apocalypse to devour, but slow, like the shifting of the earth's crust.

"So, we stopped it… All of this is over." Ciel responds positively. I guess we truly are alive after all.

"We think so. For the moment at least, this Devouring Apocalypse is no threat to us. Its power has dissipated." Hearing Livie say that she agrees with Julius' theory makes me believe it 100% too. "All of this is Romeo."

"Yeah! Thanks for helping out, Romeo! You're always awesome!" Nana speaks her words of gratitude to the one person in our group who can't be here.

"Who could've known? I gotta hand it to the kid, that power—whatever it really is—managed to save this world. It's incredible." Even Gilbert chips in with his own gratitude speech. All I can do is smile; everything has already been said for me. Romeo saved us; saved the world.

"Yeah, it's really amazing… It's perfect." Nana continues, being a lot more upbeat now.

"I couldn't have said it better. Such a beautiful world, serene, lovely, bright. A place like this could be paradise." Ciel chimes in.

"Maybe our world was always like this before the Aragami arrived. Hundreds or thousands of years ago, maybe every sight held such hope." Livie speaks poetically.

"Hey, guys, look over there! A helicopter!" Nana looks towards the sky and becomes excited. If there is a helicopter in the sky, that means there are people in it. Which means that the world truly has been saved. Nana waves her hands frantically in the air with a large smile on her face.

"A search party. You think it's for us?" Ciel speaks up.

"Time to go home." Julius confirms Ciel's words. "But first," He turns towards me and gives me a slight surprise. "I had a question to ask you." He walks closer to me before speaking up again. "Captain." He raises his arm in salute. "I, Julius Visconti, wish to be reinstated as a member of the Blood Unit. For now and evermore." Hearing his words gives me happiness. "Will you… Will you still have me?" He asks, slightly nervous. I give him a nod before another voice comes from out of seemingly nowhere,

"What the heck you guys, you think he'd been gone or something." The voice is familiar, but one I haven't heard in a long, long time. I look for the source of the voice and see something that makes my eyes widen in surprise. Standing with his hands on his hips is a man that wears an orange and white small jacket with the collar extended outwards which covers a black shirt with a gold-coloured zipper, with striped black-and-white sleeves. A man who has filled our hearts with hope.

"It's impossible."

"Oh and, uh quick question… Where are we?" The man asks in confusion. Quite frankly, I'm not surprised.

"Romeo!" I can't help but shout, followed by the collective shouts of everyone else as we rush towards him.

As soon as we reach him, so many people begin talking at once. It gets to the point where Romeo has to get everyone to settle down as he wonders about why he suddenly has a lot of attention. Taking it in turns, we all tell him what happened, starting with his death, Julius leaving Blood and leading all the way up to now. While the talk is occurring, I see all of our God Arcs stabbed into a hill of grass. The only person's missing is Livie's since she had brought Romeo's God Arc to fight with.

As time continued, all of us were rescued from our positions and brought back to Fenrir HQ. Everyone fussed over our lack of armlets as well as Julius and Romeo. This continued for many hours with each one of us getting dragged away for a medical test until finally, we all called it a night. Before going to bed, I tell Ciel to go straight asleep as we all need the rest. As soon as I enter my room, I collapse onto my bed and the world turns black.

I wake up the following day to the sound of my name being called over the speaker system telling me to head to the Branch Director's Office. I quickly get dressed and do exactly that. Inside the office, I see the Branch Director as well as Licca.

"Ah, it's you." He responds positively. I could have sworn he'd get up and hug me if I allowed him too. After all, the world has just been saved. Again. "Did you get enough rest? How have you been feeling?"

"As good as ever." I give a simple response, a smile on my face that can't be removed.

"That's good to hear. Your medical check results just came out a minute ago." Sakaki announces. I was the last one to have a medical check yesterday. I assume that all of the others have already been given their test results and since I haven't heard any bad news, I assume that everything is fine. "Actually, absolutely no trace of Bias Factor or Oracle Cells were detected in your bodies." The use of the plural noun 'bodies' confirms my earlier train of thought. "You're totally healthy—almost like newborn babes. The attending physician was floored, as am I." He sounds very happy. "Your Blood Rage unlocked the potential of Romeo's God Arc and stopped the Devouring Apocalypse. However… It hasn't stopped entirely. Even now, the Apocalypse is still moving—almost imperceptibly." This revelation weakens my smile. "You were reborn as humans – as life reallocated from inside the Devouring Apocalypse, in a manner of speaking. We can't say anything for sure yet. It may be explained more clearly after further research." He informs me. "As for what you should do next, that is completely up to all of you. They are your own lives, after all. Live as normal humans or become God Eaters once again—we will support you in whatever path you choose." Sakaki has given me an option. I can either choose to be a God Eater and go back to risking my life fighting Aragami, or I can choose to remain as a human; live a normal life and possibly even raise a family with the love of my life; Ciel. On paper, it sounds too good to be true. However, choosing the life of a human also means ignoring the suffering of the friends I've made while I'm here. Kota, Alisa, Kanon, everyone else, I will have to ignore their suffering as they fight for me and my safety. I cannot allow that; not when I am more than capable of defending myself. "Your Blood members are gathering in the Lounge. They've already been informed of their results. Why don't you discuss among yourselves how you want to move forward—what kind of a life you'll want?"

"Now that the Director is finished speaking, it's my turn." A cheery Licca speaks up and I turn towards her. "I checked on your God Arc, by the way." When we were rescued, our God Arcs were brought along with us. "It looks like you had a pledge with the Devouring Apocalypse as the target." That is a surprising piece of news. I didn't think something like that would be possible. "You, Livie and all the other Blood members… You fulfilled that pledge, didn't you…? If that's the case—if Blood Rage helped you – Then I'm really, really happy!" Of course, she would be. She was the one who created Blood Rage. Without that nifty ability, I would have been dead long before today. With those words being used to end the conversation, I give Licca a nod of my head before heading out of the room. My next destination: the Lounge.

The first person I see as I step into the lounge is Gilbert. He sees me straight away and gives a smile before speaking,

"I'm sure you heard it as well, but… Rachel's last words were that she wished trials upon us." I give him a nod to confirm that I heard Rachel's words too. "Could returning to being a regular human be the trial she meant? Or might it mean something more…?" I think he might be looking into her words a bit too much. "Anyway, the outcome is the same. We'll keep fighting the good fight for this world… together." I know now what Gilbert wants to do, and I'm proud that he chose it. He is going to continue being a God Eater.

The next person I meet in the Lounge is Nana.

"I always hated my power, you know… Aragami would come, so I had to always be alone…" She starts with a sad tone. "But now I'm thankfull!" All of the sadness in her voice is completely gone. "It's because of that I was able to join blood and meet all of you! I caused a lot of trouble for you all, but… I think I want to stay with everyone as a God Eater!" Nana's confident response makes me smile. So far, two of two people want to continue being a God Eater. That's a success.

Ciel is the next person to speak with me. I think I already know what my girlfriend will say,

"Now that I've lost my armlet, every time I hear of Aragami attacking the Far East, I wonder… Why am I here? Why does this hand not hold a God Arc? I want to protect those important to me… with my own hands."

"Nothing makes me happier to hear you say that, Ciel." I flash her the widest grin that my face allows and watch as her face turns slightly red at my words.

Livie attracts my attention next.

"As of today, I am officially a new member of Blood. I look forward to working with you." I can already tell by her words that she plans on remaining a God Eater, and she is a member of Blood now. I'm happy for that. After everything we've been through, it would be difficult for us to go our separate ways.

"Just call me Cedrick." I give her a smile and a snide remark.

"Cedrick… For some reason, it's a little embarrassing to call you that…" So often Livie has used my rank to address me but that was while I was working under her. Now though, she works under me. "Let me know if there's anything I can do. If it is within my power, I would be happy to help." She finishes the conversation.

My attention turns towards the second last member of Blood, the one who had been away from this world for so long.

"OH MAN!" He begins enthusiastically. "I got SO many thing I want to ask you! Tell it to me straight, cause, like, I'm so clueless here." Despite our talks yesterday, he still seems confused at his situation and what has happened until now. I'm really not surprised though. If I was told that I had been dead for months, I wouldn't believe it either. "First, what happened with that Marduk? Julius was like 'ask the captain.' And I'm like… uh… 'You ARE the captain!' And he says that YOU'RE the captain. And I'm like 'whaaat…?' Plus, like, I had a FUNERAL?! I'm seriously SO pumped that Yuno sang there, but, like, I didn't even get to hear it! Even though it's MY funeral! Wait, okay. I guess that's pretty standard, but… No, hold on, that's not my point. My point is… Julius is talking about stuff like, uh, a Spiny Tree? And Dr. Rachel? I'm seriously lost here!" I let him rant to me, knowing that I'll be able to answer everything after he's ranted. "Then I wake up in some place called 'sacred ground' and Livie—who I haven't seen in FOREVER—is in Blood… … Phew! It feels good to get it all out, y'know? I mean, I still feel like I'm dreaming or something." I was right, after his rant he has calmed considerably.

"It's reality."

"Yeah, I knew it. I guess you're right. The thing I do remember is when the God Arc Soldiers stopped. Then… it's a little hazy, but Julius' crying face… After that, it was all like a dream. I can barely remember, but everyone seemed to be in trouble… But I couldn't move, y'know? It was so irritating…" His words warm my heart. He was able to hear our calls for help all of these times. It really means a lot to me. "Then at the end, I could hear everyone's voices—Livie's too—and then Dr. Rachel was talking. Yeah, that's right… That was when I woke up in the sacred ground. So, I dunno, but… Everyone keeps telling me how bad Dr. Rachel was, but I can't picture that. I mean, her voice was so kind…" I was fooled by that voice too, Romeo. Regardless, I think it's clear what Romeo wants to do now. That leaves only one person left, and I already know their answer.

I walk over to Julius.

"Back then, when you came to sav me with Yuno…" He begins talking as I stand in front of him. "I told you to let me do it on my own… But in the end, I couldn't keep my promise.

"You shouldn't talk like that." I lightly reprimand him.

"Hmph… you really are too nice sometimes, you know that? That reminds me. I want to talk with everyone in Blood about where to go from here…"

"Let's talk now. It's more than likely that we're thinking the same thing." I inform him. With a smile on a nod of his head, we start the discussion…

"Oooh… Ever since we stopped being God Eaters, I'm never hungry anymore." Nana complains although it's not even been a full day since we've become regular humans. "I see the food, I just don't want it. Bummer." She pouts as she strokes her stomach, sitting beside Romeo on one of the couches.

"Haha! Still looks like you eat enough for ten people." Gilbert can't help but tease her and it puts a smile on my face. He and Ciel sit on the opposite couch.

"But… It's still only half as much as when we were God Eaters…" Nana is quick to point out. "I'm hungry and not hungry!"

"I think nothing could stop your appetite." Ciel has a little dig at Nana as well as she chuckles. "It's been nice to have a moment of respite."

"Yes, indeed, Ciel, it's the simple joys." Julius is quick to agree from his position leaning against a wall.

"I hear ya. I don't think I've ever been able to just kick it like this." On the same couch as Nana, Romeo speaks up. I'm starting to think that they haven't been sleeping for most of the day like I have. That may even explain why they obtained the medical results before I did. Nana giggles at his words,

"Romeo's all about moments of respite. Look at the little belly he's getting. Poke!" Nana teases Romeo. It's events like these that remind of the time before Romeo's death. Nana would always tease Romeo whenever she had the chance. He and Gilbert would often fight… Those are some good memories. Although, there is one person who wasn't in those memories; it was only after the Spiral Tree came to be that Livie arrived at the Far East Branch.

"hey! Way harsh Nana! It's not my fault that food is so delicious! And I'm making up for lost time!" Romeo attempts to explain his recent actions of gorging on food, patting his stomach as if further emphasising his point. The two of them look at each other before they burst out laughing. It doesn't take long for Gilbert and even Livie, sitting beside me on the perpendicular couch, to join in with their chuckles. Julius also joins in. All I can do is smile; smile at the sight before me. We are like one big happy family.

"Since we lost our armlets and became human again… I've learned quite a bit." Livie speaks up and the laughter has ended. "For the first time, ever, I think, I've stopped to see how warm this world is, how subtle. I'm glad we fought for it"

"Yeah, I get you." Gilbert agrees.

"Me too! It's a world worth fighting for." Nana chimes in in agreement.

"You're quite right."

"For reals." Ciel and Romeo both say their pieces as well. Julius chooses now to walk forward, no longer leaning against the wall as he comes to a stop in front of the tables that separate the couches.

"So, my friends, it would seem we're all of one mind then." He gives a quick scan of the room. "It's time." We all stand, and everyone's attention turns to me, collectively. "Captain, shall we?"

"We shall!" I give a confirmation nod as well to let the message get across. All of us… we're going to become God Eaters once again!

A short time later, I find my God Arc sitting in a room I know only as the Training Room. This is where I learned to master Blood Rage. I look my Arc up and down before looking towards the observation room. In that room, Licca stands with her thumb up telling me that my Arc is ready to accept me. Standing behind her are my fellow members of Blood. We agreed that the Captain should be the first person to have an Armlet put on them. So, here I am. I place my hand on my God Arc's handle and grip it tight. A black Armlet closes around my arm and a drill of some sort lowers onto the Armlet and injects the Bias Factor.

Another short time later, the seven of us stand on a ledge overlooking the Abandoned City. This is where it all started for Nana and I. And it's where it will begin again. I kneel a few metres in front of my teammates, looking out over the ledge to view the scene before us. Quite frankly, having seven God Eaters for this mission is overkill. Hell, even three would be overkill in this scenario. All that exists below us is several Ogretails and one Vajra. Strangely, the first Aragami I saw before I landed on Friar was a Vajra. This truly will begin like how it did the first time. I stand up, having seen all I needed of the situation before us. My team and I equipped with Blood Special Force uniform; we haven't worn these for a very long time. However, given this is our first outing, I thought that they would be appropriate. Livie informed me that she had had a suit made for her for a long time; ever since she realised she wanted to be a member of Blood. Thus, her outfit is similar to ours as we all have a slightly different uniform if we compared each one. Regardless, I swing my Arc to my side. Seeing my action, the others do the same.

"Blood Special Forces, let's do this!"

"Yes, Captain!" Is the collective response from my teammates. I jump off of the ledge and am quickly followed by the rest of my crew. This day will be remembered as the day that Blood became whole once again.

A/N; That is the story of GE2RB finished. I still have an arc planned, so stick around if you want to see more.


	131. Chapter 131 - Lindow Character Episodes

Chapter 131

DISCLAIMER: I DO NOT OWN THE GOD EATER FRANCHISE HOWEVER I DO OWN MY OC.

Also, please leave a review!

Name: Cedrick Esparza  
Gender: Male  
Hairstyle: Style 7 (Dark Brown)

God Arc: Pyramus (Long Blade), F-SD Launcher II (Blast Gun), Kurogane Tower D (Tower Shield)  
Blood Art: IE Mk4: Detonate IV

A/N: I know I said that I have another Arc planned, but first I need to finish off all of the Character Episodes for the following:  
Lindow,  
Soma,  
Livie,  
Romeo,  
Julius.  
However, it should give me a chance to create more scenes with Cedrick and Ciel. Also, I'm wondering if it is worth completing the special missions. Would you like to see those?

A week has passed since the Devouring Apocalypse was thwarted and Blood became whole again. Not a lot has happened in that week; the missions have been fairly simple compared to some of the missions that we had to undertake within the Spiral Tree. Also in this past week, I've taken the liberty of going on more missions with those I haven't gone on missions with lately. I went on a number of missions with Karel and his own group of God Eaters since, in his own words,

"These guys keep holding me back. I want to go on a mission of real monetary value." Thus, he invited me on these missions as well as his own crew; mainly so I can help protect his crew if necessary. Additionally, I've spent more time with Emil and Erina, the latter still desperately tries to keep the former away from her. I've tried to become more familiar with Haruomi, his brother Teruomi, Urara, Fran and Hibari. Although my success varies with each of them. Haruomi and his brother are very alike in the way they treat me. Fran and Hibari also share similar tendencies. Urara, on the other hand, is still a nervous wreck. Even my constant reminding of 'no one can be perfect' doesn't seem to brighten her mood. I've spent a lot of time with everyone, apart from one person anyway. That's because he has been away from the Far East Branch for the past week or so.

Currently, I'm resting in the lounge while my Vice-Captain leads some of my members through a mission. These members are Livie, Romeo and Nana. Having been out of the loop for so long, Romeo doesn't quite have the experience that the rest of us do. That and he's learning how to control his own Blood Power. Livie, meanwhile, needs to figure out what her Blood Power is. Hence, Ciel and Nana are helping Livie and Romeo through their mission. I'm very much aware that my own Blood Power of Evoke would be beneficial for the two of them, however, I'm also using this as a test to see how Ciel, the Vice-Captain, handles being in charge of an operation. I observe their progress by watching the television in front of me, Julius does the same. Gilbert was watching for some time but decided that he had better things to do and instead decided to work on improving our God Arcs.

Ten minutes pass and the four on the mission appear to be doing well, that is until a Fierce Kongou shows up. I'm not worried though, there are God Eaters in their area just in case things go unexpectedly.

"Hey there, Captain." I hear a voice from behind me and turn my head towards the person. Standing there, I see a person that has been away from the Far East Branch for a week or so; the same person who was with Livie and I when we found Gilbert; The same person I promised to teach him how to use a Blood Art once the Spiral Tree issue was sorted.

"Hi, Lindow." I greet him with a smile while gesturing to one of the couches. "I haven't seen you in a while."

"Yeah, I've just gotten back." He walks by me and takes a seat on one of the empty couches, since Julius and I were sitting on one together. He reclines as though it is the first rest he has had in a long time, his arms draped across the back of the couch.

"It's good to see you're back." Julius comments with his usual stoic tone.

"Thanks, Julius. Although, I don't think you should be the one to say that." Lindow gives a smirk at his own words. The two met once we had returned to the Far East on that fateful day where Blood became whole again. It was after that though, that Lindow had urgent business to attend to and was forced to leave the Far East to take care of it.

"Anyway, I was hoping we could talk for a minute." Lindow sits back up and looks to me while he speaks.

"Should I go?" Julius asks, suddenly feeling awkward although he wouldn't admit that.

"Nah, it's fine. I'm just eagerly awaiting my next lesson." Lindow smirks again. "I can't let you keep showing me up, can I?"

"I knew it would be about learning a Blood Art." I grin at him in response. "You've been dying to learn that for a while." It probably doesn't help that he's been away for a week with Alisa who already has a Blood Art.

"I'll give it everything I've got, Instructor! So, how about teaching me a thing or two?" Lindow responds excitedly, finally having the chance to be a student again.

"I see, so this was how so many people gained Blood Arts." The curiosity in Julius' voice can be heard as he speaks with a smile on his face. "I heard that they weren't limited to Blood members sometime after I came back."

"I was late to the party, but this guy managed to teach almost every God Eater here a Blood Art. He even managed to teach five people in two days." Lindow boasts for me as my former Captain learns of my good deeds. Julius looks at me with surprise written on his face. Considering even I took a while to learn a Blood Art. "The only people that haven't learned a Blood Art yet is me and Soma." Lindow continues and I remember that I indeed haven't helped Soma learn a Blood Art yet. He asked me for my help a while ago and asked if I could continue helping him… I should pay him a visit at some point so I can continue with that.

"Anyway, we should get going, Lindow." I inform him, standing up from my seat before facing Julius who remains sitted, "Do you think you could keep watching, Julius?"

"Of course, Captain." He responds positively even though his face doesn't show the same emotions.

"Great, thanks!" I give him my gratitude before turning to Lindow, "Are you ready?"

"Oh, by the way, Soma asked me to get materials to help him with his research. Will you help me before my lesson?" Lindow asks, standing up from his seat and stretching.

"Why not? We can do it at the same time as you learn your Blood Art." I inform him as the two of us head out of the lounge.

As it turns out, the materials we need can be extract from a Kongou and Polar Kongou. Hence, the mission we go on is to destroy those Aragami that have appeared along with a few Vajratail in the City of Mercy. We get on a helicopter and give the pilot our instructions. Soon enough, we're heading towards the City of Mercy.

Landing at the City of Mercy, we immediately target the closest Aragami; a Polar Kongou. Thankfully, my God Arc is Blaze-type and is appropriate for this mission since a Polar Kongou and regular Kongou is weak to the Blaze attribute. So, I'm not worried at all about this mission. If anything, it will be too easy, especially for God Eaters of our calibre. I slash into the air and fire a load of small bullets at the Aragami, surprised that I manage to break its face bond before it even has the chance to counter.

"GRAA!" It growls in pain and Lindow takes the opportunity to bring his Arc down upon the pipes on its back. It doesn't do a lot in the terms of damage, but he doesn't let that stop him as he continues hitting the beast despite the fact that it has now recovered from its surprise and pain at its bond being unbound. The Polar Kongou rears slightly as mist can be seen gathering around it. Lindow sees this and backs off while I continue shooting the beast with Blaze bullets. The Aragami lets loose a torrent of ice within the radius of two metres from itself before Lindow charges back in to attack it. Having ran out of Oracle Points, I soon join him in melee attacking, making sure to dodge the Aragami's every attack before resuming with my own.

It only takes another two minutes of this rinse and repeat strategy before the Polar Kongou falls to the ground never to get back up.

"We've still got a Kongou and Vajratail left. Stay vigilant." I inform my colleague although I'm sure he knows by now not to drop his guard on a mission. He has been a God Eater for longer than me, after all. As if on cue, a Vajratail skulks into our line of sight. Lindow and I don't hesitate and charge towards the small monster.

Eventually, all of our opponents have been defeated. Lindow gives a sigh of relief at the opportunity of having a break. I imagine it has been a long time since he has had to work so hard, to squeeze all the energy he can out of himself so he can learn a Blood Art. It's not easy for me either. I need to squeeze all of my energy out whenever Lindow does to ensure he has an easier time of learning a Blood Art.

"All this power…" Lindow speaks up, his God Arc held tightly by his side, "I will break to bear!" He shouts confidently as he moves his Arc in an uppercut motion. As soon as he does so, weak gusts of wind follow his God Arc and disperse into the air. It looks as though Lindow has learned a Blood Art, however it is incredibly weak. "Whew!" He expresses in exhaustion. "Well, what do you think, Professor?" He asks me with an expectant look on his face.

"Yeah… no… That was way too weak to be called a Blood Art." I don't bother to sugarcoat my words.

"Wow. Laying it on harsh." He scratches his head nervously. "But that just means we need to keep practicing." I give a nod at his revelation. "When I first saw you guys and your Blood Arts, I was absolutely floored. I was so sure it was the missing piece." His voice mirrors his words. "It's the power to survive, and not just that, the power to protect others from damn near anything. I can sense that willpower in you every time you try to teach me." Although, this is only the second time I've tried teaching him; the first time was a long time ago. "I won't let you run away from living…" I have no idea what that means, but it sounds pretty cool.

"What does that mean?" I ask him in my confusion.

"Ah…! S-Sorry." He stutters as he panics. "That was… Have I ever said that to you before?" I shake my head in response.

"Never." I speak to reaffirm my action.

"Really? Huh… I just had this crazy déjà vu. Anyway," He brushes off the comment. "what I'm trying to see here is that Blood Arts are incredible. And you've got a hell of a gift." Listening to Lindow's words, I know that he means it. I haven't really thought about how my gift is to help others learn their own gifts but I suppose it is pretty cool. "Haha! Sorry, I was never the smart kid in class. Don't give up on me yet." He jokes with a smile.

"I gotta tell ya, I am not cut out for sitting behind a desk." It's been thirty minutes after we returned to the Den after our mission and Lindow informed me that he had something to do. Now though, he sits in front of me in the lounge, an arm keeping his head up. I assume that, due to his words, he had to do some paperwork or something. I'm so glad that Ciel does that for me. I'd be lost without her. "I wanna get out there, get my hands dirty. I'm better when I'm fighting Aragami. Trust me." In other words, he was too excited about finally learning a Blood Art that he can't sit still and wants me to go on another mission. It makes me feel bad for Julius who is still keeping watch on the Blood Unit in my place.

"Ah… Lindow." Fran walks up from behind him yet the man doesn't turn around as she continues speaking. He keeps his attention focused on me. "Director Sakaki was asking for you." With these words, he turns his head towards her,

"Ah, got ya. Would you tell him I'm on the way."

"Uh… Sure." She responds nervously, not really expecting that answer from Lindow. She more than likely expected he would get up and see him for himself. I'm suspicious that he's not actually going to see the director. "I'll go let him know." Fran walks by us and out of the lounge.

"Where was I?" Lindow returns to our conversation, clearly not in a rush to go anywhere. "Right. Desk work sucks. Strategy and council meetings, endless paperwork, it's a pain in the ass, ya know?"

"You should have a Vice-Captain in Cradle. Ciel takes care of all of that for me." I can't help but be smug. Although, I am aware that the only reason I can't do those things is because I lend my services to everyone in the Far East Branch; in exchange for not having to do paperwork, I have to help everyone else in the branch with other things, like learning a Blood Art.

"Ah! Hi Lindow! How are you today? Doing good? Huh?" Nana comes up and talks to Lindow who I noticed seems a little annoyed. I turn my head away from the two in front of me to see the television that Julius is keeping an eye on. As it turns out, only Ciel, Romeo and Livie can be seen on a mission. I guess at some point Nana came back. I suppose she wasn't really needed out there though. Still, I'd have liked an update that Nana was back.

"Hey there! Sorry, I keep taking your Captain's free time." Lindow puts on a smile as he turns towards Nana to answer her.

"Almost all of my time is free time at the moment." I mutter although don't receive a reply from anyone in response.

"Hehe! That's totally cool; besides, I don't think the Captain minds much. Do you, Captain?" Nana chuckles, hinting that she heard me comment with her choice of words. Well, see ya later!"

"See ya!" Lindow responds with almost no energy in his voice. Nana continues walking. "Hm? What?" He speaks up nervously as he catches me staring at him. I don't think I've ever had a conversation which has been interrupted by more than one person.

"You're Mr. Popular today." Although, it's probably because he has just gotten back from a week-long trip away from the Far East with Cradle. I can't help but notice that it is only girls that have interrupted us though.

"Psh! Haha!" He gives a hearty laugh in response. "Yeah, maybe once upon a time. I'm happily married. Besides, you have a girl of your own, too, right?" He doesn't expect me to answer and continues talking. "I know I got something I'm supposed to do today… What was it…?" In all of his excitement about Blood Arts, it appears that he has forgotten that the director wanted to speak with him. Whatever, it isn't my business. What is my business though, is helping him learn a Blood Art. "Right, gotta work out Cradle's expedition path with Sakaki." Oh, so he does know that Sakaki wanted to speak with him. Regardless, as he talks, Alisa comes up behind him. She offers me a smile before making her presence known to the man in front of me.

"And don't forget, the deadline for the Satellite base settlement plan is today." She speaks up and reminds him of another task. That means that they must have located another site to build a Satellite Base then. They sound very busy. Does Lindow even have time to spare to learn a Blood Art?

"Oh, fun." He responds drearily.

"And don't let me catch you asking Soma to do it for you again." Alisa reprimands Lindow. It's been a while since I've seen her being so bossy. I guess that's just what you have to do to get someone like Lindow to work. Although, he still remains seated even as Alisa begins walking away.

"I… I would never dream of doing such a thing!" He retaliates. I just hope he doesn't ask me instead. Alisa doesn't respond as she walks, knowing it's better to keep quiet and let the conversation end. "By the by, are you free?" He speaks up, returning his attention back to me, an excited smile plastered on his face. Here we go, he wants to ask me to help with his Blood Art again.

Sure enough, Lindow did ask me to help him develop his Blood Art. So, we set out for another mission. This time, it was at the Tranquil Temple. I can't remember the last time I took part in a mission in this area. For so long I was investigating the Spiral Tree I forgot all about how snow sounded when you step on it. It makes a crunching sound that lets my reminisce on the past. Nevertheless, for the second time today, Lindow and I take on a mission. Again, it seems fairly easy. It was easy for me anyway. All we had to do was defeat one Fallen Gboro-Gboro and one Quadriga. I suppose it wouldn't be that easy for a person who is only using their Blood Art in an attempt at strengthening it. However, it worked. His Blood Art now looks a lot stronger than it did previously.

"How about another mission? You know, just to make sure I've really got the hang of it." Lindow suggests. However, before I can respond, a new voice makes themselves known in our conversation.

"Lindow! You're supposed to be working right now!" An angry Alisa begins chewing out the guy through the comms. Strangely though, I can hear it too. For some reason, it makes me feel like I'm the one getting scolded. "You can't leave us to do all of the work!" She continues her rant. Although, through analysis of her words, it appears that my message to Alisa a long time ago about letting other people help her with her work has gotten through to her.

"Yeah, yeah. I know. I was just… taking a break." Lindow responds hastily as he tries to calm down the raging woman. "Cedrick here said he needed me for something, and I couldn't refuse him." He continues.

"Did I?" I speak too quickly to stop myself. I know that Lindow included me in the conversation so that Alisa would think that he's actually helping me, but I don't think she's dumb enough to believe that. Plus, with my outburst, that only reinforces it.

"Yeah, you did, remember?" Lindow tries to get me to cover for him so by covering for me. "You said something about wanting to find new styles of fighting." He gives me a desperate smile.

"Oh, right. I did." I try to put some realisation into my voice although even I can tell I do a bad job at it.

"See? I'm just helping him out." Lindow responds to Alisa as we begin walking back to the pick-up point, knowing that we need to get back to the Den as soon as possible. I hear the woman sigh and believe that we somehow pulled it off.

"Cedrick," I hear her call my voice, "Never become an actor. You have no talent for it." She calls out our bluffs. "Although it was suddenly sprung on you. Besides, don't you have duties of your own to take care of?" She asks, the conversation shifting from Lindow to me. Whether it was his intention or not, it seems as though Lindow has taken her mind off of Lindow's tasks. I look towards him and see him give a thumbs up in response. It was his intention to do this. He's a cunning fiend; passing off an angry woman onto someone else. I'll have to pay him back for this.

"This is part of my duty, Alisa. You're aware of what I do around the Den, right?" I don't wait for her response. "I help people. They don't have to be part of my unit for me to help them."

"So, you're helping Lindow instead of him helping you?" She asks and I can feel the fury in her voice begin to raise. Despite Lindow's begging face, I choose to stay silent and grin at him. This is how I'm getting my revenge.

"Oh yeah, he said he wanted help with his Blood Art, so here I am." I reply, watching Lindow's face change from pleading to horror.

"Thanks, Cedrick." She responds before I feel the line of communication before the two of us cut off.

"GET BACK TO WORK, LINDOW!" I can hear Alisa's shout through Lindow's earpiece.

"Yeah, yeah. We're on our way back now." Lindow groans, knowing that he'll have to work behind a desk now, but at least his Blood Art is stronger, right? I do feel a little bit guilty, then again, this was his problem in the first place.

Another thirty minutes pass by after our mission. In that time, Ciel, Romeo and Livie had finished all of the missions I had lined up for them and are currently travelling back from their missions. I gave Julius my thanks for watching over them by ordering some of Mutsumi's delicious food for him. With everything that I needed to do today finished, despite it still being early in the day, I decide to leave the lounge with the intention of meeting up with my girlfriend once they returned from their missions. However, I don't even reach as far as the lift as I see Lindow talking on the phone.

"Hey, Sakuya. It's your darling Lindow." I've never met the woman he speaks of, but I have heard about her and I know that Sakuya is his wife. I can't help but be interested and overhear the one-sided conversation. "How's Ren holding up?" I'm also aware that the two of them have a son whose name was just mentioned. A couple of seconds of silence pass by before Lindow speaks again. "I see… No, no. Don't wake him. Just calling to say I might be coming home soon." Oh, so Lindow might be going to visit his family soon? Good for him. He seems like he'd be a good father. "Thanks for holding down the fort. I'll call you back later. Yeah… Thanks. Love you too." He finishes the conversation. Realising that the conversation is over, I try to look away before Lindow realises I was listening. "Ah! Hey there, Captain." Damn, I guess I was too late. Oh well, I walk closer to him, it's clear that he wants to engage me with a conversation. "Sorry, did you hear all that?"

"You sound pretty close." In a way, I'm jealous of him. Although Ciel and I have been a couple for over a week now, she doesn't have the courage to tell me she loves me in public. We haven't even been able to make public displays of affection either. No hand-holding, no hugs, nothing of the sort. We do that sort of thing in private, at her request. However, we haven't gone too far with each other either. We're trying to respect the time we're together. Although, we still haven't been able to kiss each other yet. There's the occasional kiss on the cheek, but never on the lips. So, to know that Lindow has a wife and even has a child… I can't help but be jealous of that.

"Yeah, we are." He says that as if it is a common thing. He's right. A family should be close. "Hehe! When you talk about it like that, it sounds embarrassing." He gives a nervous chuckle at my words. "I'm always glad to talk to my son. He's full of questions. Just the other day, he asked me 'Daddy, if all the Aragami were gone, would you lose your job?' It was just the cutest thing." He gives a strong chuckle this time. You can hear the love in his voice. "Anyway, I don't want to be one of those guys who bores his friends about his family. That reminds me, there's something I wanted to talk to you about." He's excited again. Is it about his Blood Art? The way he's going now, he should just need to train and he'll have perfected it. Does he think he still needs my help? "Do you remember what I asked you after we defeated that Kyuubi?" I don't even need to think back on it to remember what he asked me. "Well, I wanted to ask you again. What do you say, Captain? Would you join up with Cradle?" He asks me a lot more confidently now. After all, the only reason I had turned him down before is because my Unit and I had intended to rescue Julius from the Spiral Tree before we decided something like that. Now that he has returned though, he knows that there is nothing stopping me from joining. He knows that we have no ultimate goal that we need to reach. But…

"I'm not sure what to say." I'm sure that I would be of use to Cradle, but I don't want to leave Blood to do that. I could offer my services to Cradle as well. Maybe help them on one or two outings… It all depends on what the future holds. Plus, I don't really want to leave Ciel behind.

"Hm, I get you" He gives a nod of the head in understanding. "Blood's been through quite a lot together. Must've been tough." I can't deny that. "You know, I'm constantly amazed at all the things I never realised until I became a father. Chief among them, kids help their parents grow far more than the other way around. I'm coming face to face with my weaknesses daily. I'm unlearning a lot of bad habits. One day, it just hit me. I thought I was the leader, thought I was raising these kids, but they raise me." I never looked at parenthood like that, and I probably won't need to for a long time. I'm not even sure if I want to have children. I guess I'll let Ciel decide whether we do or not. "I don't know when, but they've become the very core of my life. My companions. My war buddies. I think you know what I mean." I do. He means that the people in his unit have become his family too, and that they help him to become a better person; whether that means through coping with new situations, or physically helping him to grow by realising he wants a Blood Art.

"I do now." I respond with a small smile on my face as I come to the realisation. My unit are my family; we help each other grow.

"Yeah? Point is, there's no need to push yourself. You'll fall in with tons of people." Lindow continues, glad that he had this conversation with me if it helped me to realise something, and I'm glad for this conversation too. Still though, there's a lot I need to do to help my unit; and I'll need all of my energy for it. There's no time for breaks when you're the captain of a great group of God Eaters like Blood. "You'll teach them some things, but they'll teach you a lot. Day by day, you guys grow together. Most importantly, you have those people with you now, and they'll always be a part of you. Never forget that." His words resonate with me. I don't think I'll be forgetting them anytime soon. "Well, see ya, Captain. I've still got work to do." He gives me a wave before moving towards the lift. I'm not sure what to do now though. I had intended on meeting with Ciel, Romeo and Livie, but I have no plan after that. Maybe I should prepare something for them as a reward for completing the tasks I gave them. Plus, I still need to hear Julius' opinion about what he thinks of Ciel taking a leader's role. I head back towards the Lounge with a clearer head and a more positive attitude…


	132. Chapter 132 - Soma Character Episodes

Chapter 132

DISCLAIMER: I DO NOT OWN THE GOD EATER FRANCHISE HOWEVER I DO OWN MY OC.

Also, please leave a review!

Name: Cedrick Esparza  
Gender: Male  
Hairstyle: Style 7 (Dark Brown)

God Arc: Pyramus (Long Blade), F-SD Launcher II (Blast Gun), Kurogane Tower D (Tower Shield)  
Blood Art: IE Mk4: Detonate IV

"Tell me, would any of you care to try your hand at farming?" Sakaki speaks up suddenly, letting us know of his presence. It's only been one hour since my talk with Lindow and so many people have entered the Lounge for their break, including the man himself.

"Huh? You mean like… digging and stuff? With grass?" Kota asks in confusion. The captain of the 1st Unit has recently finished a mission along with Emil and Erina. Those two are not currently in the Lounge though. I anticipate that he came in here to take a break from their arguing.

"Not grass, Kota. Crops." Soma corrects him, mildly annoyed at Kota's lack of understanding. The doctor entered the Lounge at the same time as the director. He must be Sakaki's accomplice in this discussion. Soma's teammate in Cradle, Lindow currently sits on a bar stool having escaped from his duties. The rest of us, Sakaki, Soma, Kota, Julius and I, meanwhile, all stand.

"Sacred ground may cover the world one day. We may not always be able to rely on oracle tech to feed our people." Sakaki adds as a comment as he tries to get us to understand his line of thought. However, I cannot imagine a world covered in Sacred ground. After all, the place is a safe haven. No Aragami can enter the area, although there have been times when they have gotten pretty close. "We'll need to revive traditional farming on the fertile soil of Sacred Ground and pass on such traditions."

"So, who among you is up to the challenge?" Soma asks.

"Hehe! We're God Eaters. Eating food? Yeah, we can rock that. Making food? Not so sure." Kota answers, confident in the fact that he has no skills to make food. I'm not exactly sure what growing crops would entail, so it might be better if I don't take charge on this one.

"It's an interesting proposition, guys. I just don't think we've got the manpower for it." Lindow responds with an equally as confident and yet pessimistic view.

"Hm… Farming?" Julius repeats with a voice that shows his interest in the subject.

"Yes, indeed." Director Sakaki responds with a noticeable amount of excitement in his voice. Judging by Julius' words, it is clear that Julius is interested in the proposition to some degree.

"I'll try my hand." Julius responds as he directly answers Soma's question by mimicking his words in a voice that isn't confident and simultaneously isn't nervous either.

"It won't be easy to fit alongside your normal duties with Blood. Are you certain, Julius?" The director's voice takes a turn to the serious side as he wishes to confirm Julius' commitment to Blood as well as farming.

"I will do everything in my power to create a better future." I can't help but smile at Julius' words. He often spoke those words in the past and he still wishes to create a better future. I admire that, and yet I merely live in the moment. I do not anticipate what will happen many years into the future. Maybe I should take a leaf out of Julius' book and do so. "This task is as important as slaying Aragami." He confidently responds to Sakaki before his attention turns to me. "I'll gladly pursue it. That is, of course, provided my Captain will permit me." He indirectly asks me for my approval of his new objective with a smile on his face. I can't think of any reason to turn him down though. Blood has just been drifting around the Den over this past week as we wait for something big to come. We haven't had many issues with psions that we couldn't handle and there hasn't been any new end of the world scenarios either.

"Farming? Let's do it." I give him a sharp nod. "You're in charge though. I don't know the first thing about farming." I also inform him, with a chuckle, of my lack of knowledge in the subject, although I can still help him when I am needed.

"Thank you, Captain."

"Precisely as I expected from the Blood Unit. Once again, I am incredibly grateful to you." Sakaki's words make me wonder why he didn't ask us straight away. "We can settle on all the details later." Sakaki speaks up, and with a farewell he disappears out of the Lounge. Any details that will be discussed will be done so with only Julius. I'd be useless in a briefing about something like farming. Surprisingly, Soma doesn't follow the director out of the Lounge. Instead, he walks towards me.

"Can you spare a minute?" He asks me. "I need your help with something." Hearing Soma's words, the others decide to leave the two of us to talk. Kota and Lindow discuss something among themselves while Julius leaves the bar to check on the capybara.

"What is it?" I can't help but be curious at Soma's request.

"I'll fill you in on the details." He turns towards the exit to the Lounge. "Come with me."

Soma ends up taking me to his laboratory and takes a seat on the large red chair behind a desk littered with computer monitors.

"I'm running low on samples of a certain Aragami species. Luckily, a group of them were just reported at a nearby factory." Ah, that makes sense as to why he would suddenly ask for my assistance out of nowhere. He taps on his keyboard and looks at one of the monitors. He turns it towards me and shows the sample he needs. "I'll be heading over there to do a little hunting. Would you care to join me?" He asks me directly for my assistance. It's actually quite funny considering only hours ago I had speculated about checking up on Soma. This will be a great opportunity to do so.

"Yeah, why not?" I give him my positive answer. Although I'm a little tired from the missions with Lindow and completing about ten missions per day in the last week just so I can check on the progress of others, I'm sure I can push through this feeling of exhaustion.

"Good. Thank you." He expresses his gratitude and I take a look at the monitor again.

"You get this sample from a Sariel, right?" I keep the conversation going as the guy gets up from his chair and walks towards around his desk.

"Yes. A Sariel has been reported as being attacked by a herd of Ogretails. I thought this was a good as time as any to get samples from both types as Aragami." He informs me as we walk out of the laboratory and head towards the lift.

"So, this could be a pretty easy mission, depending on the damage the Ogretails have done." I comment as we ride the lift down to the God Arc Storage Warehouse.

"You could think of it like that, yes." Soma's choice of words makes it sound like he doesn't agree with me. Regardless, I guess we'll let the battle decide it.

After we land at the Sunken Grid, the two of us charge towards the Sariel's last known location; the factory right in the centre of the area. Before we enter it though, we hear three separate roars and decide to take cover behind the walls of the factory.

"Damn it." I hear Soma curse as spies into the factory. "The Sariel has been dead for a while." I also spy into the factory and see three Ogretails engorging on a defeated Sariel. Somehow, those three small Aragami defeated a larger Aragami, although they're not without injuries. They all look as though they're about to die. "I need you to provide a distraction." Soma looks at me. It seems as though there isn't even enough time for us to kill the Ogretails before the Sariel deteriorates. I walk out from my hiding spot behind the wall and head towards the Ogretails.

"Ladies, gentleman and Aragami," I shout with a loud, amused voice with a smile to match. The Ogretails turn towards me as they hear my voice; leaving their meal alone at the thought of an even fresher one. "For tonight's entertainment, who is faster? Aragami or man? We'll put this to the test with a race!" The Ogretails, in an attempt to be threatening, slowly inch their way towards me. I still smile although I grow slightly nervous. "One of our finest men vs three Ogretails. We'll be in for a hell of a…" I force myself to cut my show short as one of the Ogretails leaps towards me. "On your marks, get set, go!" I hurriedly speak before sprinting back the way I came. I look over my shoulder and see the Ogretails following me. As soon as they leave the factory, Soma enters it and runs towards the Sariel corpse.

Surprisingly, the race goes better than I expected. Looking at the Ogretails individually, it is clear to see why. One of the small Aragami struggles to run as it limps, almost hopping to try and catch up to me. Its body is littered with scars and dried blood. Another one repeatedly has to move its head to keep an eye locked on me; the reason why is that the other eye has been gouged out. This Aragami reminds me of my own condition, hence why I wear an eyepatch so I don't have to look at a fake eye. The third Aragami appears to be in a better condition; only having a few burn marks on its skin most likely from the orb attacks courtesy of the Sariel. Regardless of their conditions, they all look as though they can be defeated easily.

"In first place as we reach the halfway point, is the man of superior abilities." I can't help but smile as I joke about the situation. "While back in second place is an Ogretail that has been badly burned. Behind it, in third place, is another Ogretail only this one has one eye. Will he be able to claim second place or even first place as we round an upcoming corner?" The answer to that question is a big nope. "And it crashes headfirst into multiple large objects. To make matters worse, the Ogretail that was in fourth place over takes it even though it's limping." The now fourth place, one eyed Ogretail quickly gets back up and rejoins the race.

"If a winner has been decided," I hear Soma's slightly amused voice through my headset, "I'm ready to take some samples from the Ogretails."

"I'll bring them back to you." I inform him as we all go around another corner, having completed 75% of a lap. "The finish line is just around the next corner!" I shout although the Aragami behind me clearly don't know what I'm speaking about.

"I'm behind the wall on your left as you run around the corner." Soma informs me.

"The finish line! In first place is the God Eater!" I turn the corner and hide behind the wall on the right. As soon as the Ogretails enter the factory, Soma and I deliver a few swift blows and they fall to the floor. Soma immediately starts extracting samples from all of the small Aragami. I wait at the side as he completes his work.

"That was certainly a unique distraction, Captain." I can only laugh at Soma's comment as he continues extracting samples.

"It was the first thing I thought of." I give him my reply, a smile on my face.

"Although, it was pretty dangerous." He suddenly becomes serious. However, merely fighting Aragami is serious, I'm sure he knows that. To be honest though, I'm starting to wish that I hadn't decided on racing those Ogretails. The exhaustion I had felt earlier had disappeared during the race due to adrenaline, but now it's all hitting me again in one wave. "It was three years ago…" He suddenly speaks up, nothing but seriousness in his voice as he stands up, having finished extracting samples. I lost a friend to this place. She… She was like a little sister to me. Certainly closer than my real family. I should have saved her." I had no idea that Soma had lost somebody as recently as three years ago. Blood is lucky that Julius and Romeo were able to return, although only the latter was officially dead.

"The losses stay with you." I remember when we had lost Romeo. I was unable to do anything at the time. I had pinned my hopes on Julius whom had ran after Romeo, but they both ended up being affected by the Red Rain. Romeo's death was quick. At least, that's what I liked to hope. Thankfully, it doesn't matter now.

"Yes… They really do…" His voice is still solemn. "Day in and day out I am surrounded by death that I can come to terms with, but I still can't get used to her absence." He remains quiet for the entire trip back to the Far East.

Back at the Far East, instead of leaving Soma to grieve by himself, I decide to stay with him in his laboratory. He's clearly depressed but I'm not sure how to support him in this situation. Thus, I stay by his side, hoping that my presence will be enough to help him get over his sadness, at least for now.

"Captain," At the mention of my title, I turn towards Soma. "Do you know much of the Aegis project?" He suddenly asks in curiosity. I blink in surprise at his questions.

"I know about it." I remember hearing about it a long time ago, but I haven't thought about it since then. I definitely must have forgotten some details about it, but for the most part, I can remember a lot of it.

"I expected as much." He replies. "Aegis was to be my father's magnum opus. He was a Branch Director and a scientist, but he still wanted more." This is some new information. I don't think I've ever heard about Soma's father. "He lived by a simple code: the ends justify the means." Soma has completely stopped typing on his computer as he speaks. His full attention is placed on telling me this information. "I've never been able to come to terms with that. Still, as I delve deeper into his work, I have come to see that, though mad, he truly had a first-rate mind. His name appears constantly in all kinds of texts, though mostly his early work pertained to advances in construction. Yet still, despite all that renown, I…" It's interesting to hear Soma's inner conflict, but at the same time, he suffers through it alone. I wonder if there is anything I can do to help him. He looks up towards one of his monitors, having realised that he dropped his head as he was speaking. "Ah, my apologies. Lindow was scheduled to call." It sounds like Lindow is very busy, just like Soma.

"I'll come back later then." I stand up from my seat on the couch in his laboratory. I'll give him an hour and then I'll return. That should be enough time for him and Lindow to chat about whatever. I know that Soma most likely still needs my assistance with something, otherwise he would have told me that he no longer needed me.

"Thank you. We'll pick this up again then." His words confirm my thoughts.

"See you soon." I give him a wave before dismissing myself from his laboratory. Instead of heading to the lounge, I decide to lay in my bed and hope that the exhaustion I've been feeling disappears.

"Farewell."

Thankfully, after an hour of lying on my bed, I no longer feel exhausted. I head back towards Soma's laboratory as the hour has passed that I said I would give him.

"Ah, do you have a minute?" Soma asks as soon as I walk into his laboratory. It seems as though he does need me after all. "I want to retest of the gathering pheromone I told you about, but I'm short on personnel. It would be a big help if you could lend a hand. What do you say?"

"How is your research going?"

"I'm getting there, step by step. It's a major undertaking; the operational costs are high. Technical issues make it unsuitable for wide-scale use, but its useful for testing other technology. Getting back on subject… can you help?" Soma redirects the formalities towards his original question, having already answered mine.

"Any time." I offer a smile with my answer.

"Thank you. Then we'll be heading to Aegis Island. I want to try out the pheromone for the gathering of the Ouroboros species." He informs me as he walks around his desk and we head out of his laboratory. Along the rest of the way, he informs me as to how he plans to use the pheromone to lure out the Ouroboros and that it is our job to defeat it.

Sure enough, the Ouroboros pheromone attracts a mountain-like Aragami and it doesn't take much for us to defeat it. For some reason, it appears much weaker than other Ouroboros I've fought against. Or is this just because after fighting what is now known as the World Closer I have gotten so much stronger that fighting an Ouroboros seems easy? Or maybe it's because I'm sure I saw Soma using a new move that looks suspiciously like a Blood Art? I reflect for a few minutes before realising that it is, indeed, a Blood Art that Soma has learned. I can't help but smile at that. I wonder if he noticed it too.

"Hmm… Perhaps a little compression here would better serve the required Bias Factor tuning." Soma slowly speaks after the battle as if analysing his own thoughts as he does so, though it sounds gibberish to me. "Still, the Aegis was built for strength. Hmph! I can see his arrogant face in every one of these walls." It appears that Soma is no longer depressed, but angry instead; his focus having shifted from the girl who died three years ago to his father.

"We spoke about Aegis."

"We didn't get to finish our talk last time, did we? Where did we leave off?" He racks his brain as he tries to think. Meanwhile, I've noticed that it has gotten pretty dark outside of Aegis and yet, I still feel very energetic. "Ah! Of course." It seems as though he remembers. I don't though. "Well, I may not be as great a scientist as my father, but I do have much I can be proud of. I have friends who trust me implicitly, just as I trust them." He looks at me as he speaks his mind. "I am proud to fight alongside each of them. Kota may act the fool," he turns away, most likely reflecting on Kota's past antics. "but he swore to protect the Far East for as long as he draws breath. Alisa battles Aragami, heh, and paperwork, every day for the people in the satellite bases." He adds a comment about Alisa with a light chuckle at his own joke. "Meanwhile Lindow and an old friend have gone in search of new Aragami. Every new find helps to create a better future." I wonder if this old friend is the old captain of the Far East. It appears as though everyone is fond of that guy. "There's no one right answer to life. There's always many paths before you. I know that now." He continues solemnly.

"Wise words." I can't help but comment.

"Heh… I learn them from a friend." He gives a kind smile. "When Aegis failed, my father lost his mind. When he fell, he was alone. Enemies waited in every shadow." His solemnness returns. "Fanaticism like his breeds self-righteousness, which brings isolation, only furthering his fanaticism. I walked that path once. I know too well how easy it is to slip and fall. Heh… I didn't mean to talk your ear off." He gives a chuckle. "Let's proceed. I may have mentioned this before, but you really do remind me of one of my old friends… I expect the same greatness from you." He begins walking away and I soon catch up to him as we wait at our pick up point for our ride to arrive.

By the time we return to the Far East Branch, the sky has turned completely black and I make my way back to my room. After having that nap earlier, I'm not tired. At all, in fact. Yet I collapse onto my bed and look towards the ceiling after preparing for bed. It takes a little while but eventually, my world turns to black.

The next morning, I awake due to the harsh light of the sun. However, when I go to rub my eyes, I find myself unable to do so. I try to sit up, only to find that I can't. It feels as though there is a weight on my chest that keeps me from moving and every time I try to do so, my muscles fight desperately against my actions. I can only find the strength to move my eyes and try to speak.

"Is someone there?"


	133. Chapter 133 - Chronic Fatigue

Chapter 133

DISCLAIMER: I DO NOT OWN THE GOD EATER FRANCHISE HOWEVER I DO OWN MY OC.

Also, please leave a review!

Name: Cedrick Esparza  
Gender: Male  
Hairstyle: Style 7 (Dark Brown)

God Arc: Pyramus (Long Blade), F-SD Launcher II (Blast Gun), Kurogane Tower D (Tower Shield)  
Blood Art: IE Mk4: Detonate IV

"Is someone there?" It was the only logical explanation. If I was unable to move of my own accord, it makes sense to assume that I'm being restricted somehow. Yet, I can't see anyone; although I can only see the ceiling above me. I can't hear anyone, and I can't feel anyone either. All I feel is a burning pain in my muscles. I try to pull myself up, but the burning in my muscles keep me from properly moving.

"You shouldn't get up." I hear the sweet voice of my girlfriend to the side of me. I try to move my head in her direction. With a bit of a struggle, I manage to do so. I see Ciel sitting on a chair beside me with a bucket next to her.

"Ciel?" There must be some reason why she is in my room at this time of day. As I think of my next words, I feel a weight falling off of my forehead as well as hearing a 'plop' sound. Ciel also hears the sound and turns towards me. In front of my eyes is a wet cloth. Ciel takes the cloth and it and her hands disappear into the bucket. She takes one of her hands out of the bucket and extends it towards me. I feel her slightly damp hand on my forehead and I suddenly feel the coldness of the liquid on her hands. Before she turned my head back though, I noticed that she had dark patches under her eyes.

"I didn't expect you to remember what happened." She straightens my head so that the ceiling returns to my sight. Her hand leaves my forehead and I assume it returns to the inside of the bucket. Seconds later, I feel a wet cloth on my forehead. The coldness of the water feels relaxing and I figure out what must have happened. I must have a fever. That probably explains my burning muscles. "You've had a fever since early this morning. All anyone could hear was your groaning." Hearing this makes me feel bad for the person beside me. She must have been here for quite some time since she hasn't been able to sleep as she's been taking care of me. However, the thought of that makes me happy. Ciel has been taking care of me… but at the cost of her own welfare.

"You haven't slept, have you?" I ask her as I redirect the subject of the conversation to her.

"Of course, I've slept." I can tell that she's lying. "Speaking of sleeping, you should get some rest." Ciel tries to shift the conversation back to me, I won't let her though,

"How long have you been here?"

"Not long." She answers too quickly, almost as if she has rehearsed her answer. I sigh at her lie. She's definitely trying to protect me.

"Tell me, Ciel," My voice converts to a serious tone, "Why can't I move without being in pain?"

"I told you that you have a fever, remember? That's probably—"

"No, Ciel," I sound a bit more panicked, "I mean, I can't move. Like, at all. I feel as though I'm being restrained. I can't move my body **at all**."

"Really?" Her surprise can be told in her voice and I hear a bit of movement from beside me. "Maybe it's more than a fever." She whispers. Her voice sounds as though it has come from higher up than before. "I'll be back soon, Cedrick." The love pours out from her voice. "Try to get some rest." Instead of speaking up again, I merely listen as her footsteps quietly fade away. I close my eyes and try to do as Ciel says; rest.

Being unable to return to the land of unconsciousness, the sound of my door opening and footsteps walking towards my bed alerts me. I keep my eyes closed though, as I feign sleeping. A few seconds pass before I hear the person sit on the seat. Nothing happens for a few minutes. Whoever is sitting beside me mustn't know how to take care of a person who is ill.

"I have an idea what it must be." I can clearly hear Director Sakaki from outside of my room as well as his footsteps. However, another pair of footsteps are with him. I assume these to belong to Ciel. "I'll need to ask him myself just to make sure." I hear the door of my room open.

"Of course." I hear Ciel's voice as well, answering the director. I hear their footsteps approach my bed. "Thank you for watching him, Julius." Julius? The person sitting at my bedside is Julius? I never would have expected that. Although, it makes sense. I don't think he knows much about medical procedures or even something simple like caring for someone with a fever; he didn't even replace the cloth on my head.

"Cedrick? Are you awake?" Ciel asks me, giving my shoulder a few pats.

"I am." Opening my eyes, I let the three of them know that I'm awake.

"Captain," Director Sakaki takes charge of the conversation, "I've heard that you're having trouble moving."

"That's right. I can't move at all with a searing pain in my muscles." I reply to him in as much detail as I can without repeating myself.

"I see." He calculates, "How busy have you been recently?" He asks, although I have no idea why this question is necessary. A couple of seconds pass as I recall my recent activities.

"I'd say I've been pretty busy. I think I can count about 80 missions in the past week and a half." That works out on average to about eight missions per day.

"Really?" I hear Ciel utter in surprise.

"Are you sure, Captain?" Julius asks, I can hear the surprise in his voice as well. I go to nod my head, but the searing pain in my muscles keeps me from making a successful nod.

"Yeah." I'm forced to reply, unable to nod my head.

"I see. In that case, I believe it's quite obvious what the problem it is." Director Sakaki speaks up, his face seems to have grown more critical.

"Yes, it is obvious now." Ciel chips in. Try to see Julius' response only to see his eyes closed with a hand under his chin in a calculating position. It seems I'm the only person that has no idea what's so obvious.

"Cedrick," Director Sakaki uses my name instead of my rank, showing his seriousness, "80 missions a week is definitely pushing yourself. I don't care if you're the strongest God Eater here, you can't do 80 missions per week. You're expected to do at least one mission per day, but you're averaging eight per day."

"The reason why you're unable to move with being in pain is due to chronic fatigue. You are deathly tired." Ciel continues for him.

"If you don't rest properly, it is possible that you could die." Julius chips in, adding to the feeling that I'm being scolded by the three of them. "That's most likely the reason why you have a fever too. You need to rest."

"I agree." Sakaki takes control of the situation again. "Cedrick, you've done enough missions this week to cover for eighty days. However, the likelihood that we need your help is too great to let you have that long of a break." He speaks to himself as he calculates his next words. "So, for the next week, you cannot complete any missions." I can't help but chuckle at his words, despite the pain I feel from doing so.

"You're joking right? No missions for a week? I'll be fine this time tomorrow. I can continue going on missions then—"

"No, Cedrick!" Ciel grabs my shoulders and enters my vision, I can see her face is full of worry and concern. "You don't understand the situation. Chronic fatigue can make you forget how tired you actually are. There must have been some time in the past week that you realised that you have suddenly found more energy in your body. That's chronic fatigue deceiving you. There's no chance you'll have healed by tomorrow. If you push yourself too far, you could die! And I—We couldn't accept that."

"I see." I grow to understand her words through the pained and tired expression on my girlfriend's face. I desperately want to reach my arms out to give her a hug and tell her that I'll be fine, but that would hurt immensely. "I'll rest then, but I can't go a week without a mission. My services will be needed at some point. So, I'll rest for a few days.

"A few days is good enough, for now." Julius speaks up, reminding me that he is still in the room. "Besides, you'll be able to do other things, just you won't be able to go on missions. You could help me with the farming." He suggests with a smile.

"As long as he doesn't over do it." Sakaki interrupts the conversation before it can go any further. "We wouldn't be able to take losing our best God Eater." Hearing how highly I am valued as a God Eater warms my heart. Unfortunately, warmth is the thing I really don't need right now. In fact, what I do need is something else. "Well, we're finished here. Make sure to rest for a few days, Captain." Sakaki speaks up before walking towards the door to my room. Ciel catches up with him to see him out. This gives me the chance to tell Julius what's on my mind.

"Julius…" I whisper, making sure that only he can hear my next words.

"Hm?" He moves his head closer so he can hear my whisper.

"I need you to take me to the toilet." I whisper as quietly as I can manage while letting only Julius hear as I can hear Ciel's footsteps as she heads back towards us.

"I see." He reclines in his seat.

"Is something wrong?" Ciel asks with a hint of worry in my voice and I can't help but panic as I never told Julius not to tell her.

"He needs the toilet." I feel my face heat up as Julius speaks plainly and can almost hear the gears in Ciel's head as they turn so that she can understand those words.

"R-Right." She nervously speaks, finally understanding the situation. If the situation wasn't awkward before, it is now. "Wh-What do you need?" She asks again, I'm sure even Julius can feel the nervousness in her voice. Quite frankly, Ciel and I aren't even at the point in our relationship where we've begun touching each other's body's; or naked skin to be more specific. So, for her to help me with going to the toilet, knowing full well that she may even see my reproductive organs is highly embarrassing for the both of us. However, that's not the most embarrassing part.

"To urinate." Thankfully, I don't need to expel solid waste products from my body, but this is still going to be embarrassing since, "and I'm not sure if you're aware, but I sleep in my birthday suit." In other words; naked. I know that I've played a few jokes on people because of how I sleep, like when Alisa came barging into my room at the crack of dawn and tried to pull the covers off of me, but I was sure that I wouldn't be seen then. Now though, I need to make my way to the toilet, and my muscles are already in agony which means I will need to be accompanied to the toilet. Hence my embarrassment. I'm sure that Ciel's face is heating up right now and she doesn't know what to do next. "This is why I told Julius. I didn't expect him to blab, though." I look towards the man I mentioned. To my horror, he isn't sitting where he was only moments ago. I crane my neck despite the pain and only just catch a glimpse of him as he leaves my room.

"I don't want to get in the way of your relationship." He speaks up as if he knows that I was looking at his back. He thinks that Ciel and I have either gone further than we actually have, or that this will help us go that far.

"Julius…" Ciel and I both whisper in shock as he ditches the two of us.

A couple of seconds of silence pass before my body reminds me of my desperate need to urinate.

"You know, Ciel, just get me a bucket and I can go in there. You can rotate my body and hold the bucket over my groin." I attempt to reason with Ciel. This way, we can both avoid any needless embarrassment.

"N-No. Urinating in a bucket is unhygienic." She dismisses my thought, and any thought I had about not being embarrassed. She brings a hand to her chest and breathes in and out a couple of times in an attempt to calm herself down before her face turns serious. "Captain, the quicker we do this, the quicker it's done." If there's one thing about Ciel I don't like, it's how she thinks me as Cedrick and me as the captain of Blood are two different people. In this case though, it might not be all that bad.

"Sure thing, Vice-Captain." I take a page out of her book and speak as she comes to my bedside. We struggle to get me out of bed, and we walk over to the bathroom, an arm around Ciel's shoulders. Despite the pain, I manage to keep a hand over my bits as we walk. I occasionally take glances at Ciel and see her eyes move from inspecting my body to looking to where we are going. I even catch her glimpsing to my genitals. I don't blame her for her curiosity; If our roles were reversed, I'd definitely be catching glimpses of her naked body. However, the fact that we haven't even kissed on the lips yet and she's already seen my naked body is rather embarrassing.

We eventually get to the bathroom after what feels like hours of walking.

"So, uh…" Ciel's nerves seem to get the better of her, and I don't blame her. I'm so nervous at the moment that I don't feel like actually going to the toilet. "How do you do it?"

"Well, I need to get closer to the toilet first, Ciel." My embarrassment comes out as though I am annoyed.

"Oh, of course." She stutters in her nervousness. "Uh… Up or down?" She asks nervously while we walk closer to the toilet, stopping right in front of it.

"Huh?" I'm confused by her words.

"Standing up or… sitting down?" Oh, so that's what she means. It's still an unusual question.

"Men go to the bathroom standing up, Ciel. Didn't you know that?" I've started getting a bit impatient. "Let my hand rest on the wall and make sure it doesn't slip off. I'll take care of the rest myself." She does as I ask and places my hand on the wall. She makes sure that my hand doesn't slip by placing her hand on top of mine. The sensation makes me unable to go to the toilet, but I know that my body still needs to expel the liquid waste project. "Oh and uh… don't look." She turns her head away. Despite the nervousness, I manage to go to the toilet and wash my hands.

We manage to get back to my bed where I instantly cover myself up again.

"Let's forget that ever happened, Ciel." I don't care how close we get to each other, we should never have to do this again. I definitely don't have a urination fetish, and I really hope Ciel hasn't developed one either.

"Yes, let's." She speaks up as she returns to soaking the cloth that was on my head and places the now wet and cold cloth back on my head. Our usual conversation resumes, the event of the bathroom having been forgotten.

For the rest of the day, Ciel takes care of me to my absolute enjoyment; apart from when I need the toilet again. However, Ciel even feeds me as I sit up in bed. Most of the time I spend sleeping though; under Ciel's instruction. She claims that sleeping would make me feel a lot better than being awake. According to Ciel though, when I had next woken up, she informed me that my fever had gotten worse. Since then though, my fever has been going down which is good news.

Eventually, the next day came and I felt energised. I was able to move without the restrictions of pain. Ciel had been with me the entire day and night, so it didn't surprise me to see her sleeping in the chair next to me. I put some clothes on before I carefully moved Ciel from the chair to my bed. She'll probably be asleep for a while to catch up on the sleep that she missed by taking care of me. I leave her in my room, and I head to the lounge. I've been told that I can't complete any missions for the next few days; so, I suppose I can spend today, at least, in the Lounge. Maybe I can strike up some conversations with people in there for the day.


	134. Chapter 134 - Farming

Chapter 134

DISCLAIMER: I DO NOT OWN THE GOD EATER FRANCHISE HOWEVER I DO OWN MY OC.

Also, please leave a review!

Name: Cedrick Esparza  
Gender: Male  
Hairstyle: Style 7 (Dark Brown)

God Arc: Pyramus (Long Blade), F-SD Launcher II (Blast Gun), Kurogane Tower D (Tower Shield)  
Blood Art: IE Mk4: Detonate IV

Entering the Lounge, I'm surprised that I'm not the first person of my Unit to be awake. Julius sits at the bar with a drink. I assume he must already have had his food. I decide to sit down beside him.

"It's good to see you're well, Captain." He offers a smile along with his words.

"It's good to feel well again." I give my response with my own smile.

"Still, you're not completely well. You can't participate in missions for the next few days." He reminds me which causes my positivity to slightly deflate.

"You're right. I don't want to think about what might happen if I don't take it easy for a while." My words end the topic of conversation and I decide to order a light breakfast from Mutsumi.

"My apologies for what happened two days ago." Julius suddenly speaks up and I wonder if the subject of my overworking hasn't been dropped after all. "I should have come to you first before simply agreeing to the director's plan for farming." Ah, so that's what he means.

"You were pretty demanding." I try and lighten the atmosphere that he's giving off. He's always been a painfully serious person. Just as I finish my words, Mutsumi brings out a plate of roast chicken and gives Julius and I a smile.

"I do hope that a plate of roast chicken will earn your forgiveness for my impropriety. I know it has before." I can't help but chuckle at Julius' words. He must have expected me to try and joke about it but still want to apologise for his actions. Or maybe this is also an apology for leaving Ciel and having her accompany me into the bathroom instead. "When people work the land together and share its bounty, they grow and prosper and learn. Heh… You know well that I used to try and do everything alone. I don't want that anymore. I want to work in tandem with the people here, everyone at the satellite base, everyone in Blood, and you." The conversation, despite it being a friendly one, still shifts into seriousness. "When I was enthralled by Rachel and teaching the God Arc Soldiers… I did some terrible things…" This must have been weighing on his mind for a while. "I may never be forgiven for what I've done, but at least I can show those I've hurt my remorse. I know that I need to do this, Captain. It's the only way I can make amends…" He finishes his monologue.

"We're here for you, Julius. If you feel as though you need to pay us back, I won't stop you." I start digging in to the roast chicken in front of me.

"By the way, I wish for you to accompany me later." Julius speaks up as if he only just remembered that he needed to be somewhere later.

"Sure, but where are we going? I can't participate in any missions, remember?"

"Of course. We're simply going to the satellite base. That's all." Although I have no idea why Julius wishes to go to the satellite base, I don't press him on the matter. I merely finish my food and then follow him.

Stepping into one of the satellite bases causes a ruckus as soon as we are spotted. Despite being accompanied by Alisa, the God Eater who is most responsible for these shelters, all of the fuss is aimed towards Julius and I.

"Wow! Blood's here?!" Murmurs of this kind quickly spread, and soon a whole stampede of children make their way towards us.

"You're popular with them, you know." I disregard Alisa's statement as she mockingly jabs me with a matching smile on her face. "They've heard all about Blood's exploits," by that I assume all of the things that are available to the public. If they had heard everything, including the private information, then there would be a big problem. "And they already know how capable you are as a Captain." I choose not to respond to Alisa.

"Look! It's the Captain of Blood!" The children shout lines similar to that as they identify me as the captain. "He's so cool! I wonder why he wears an eyepatch!" The children keep spouting their praises and questions as if we were an attraction at a zoo.

"What were we here to do, Julius?" I ask him, feeling slightly nervous that the eyes of so many children are on me. I'm supposed to be some kind of role model, and yet I came here with the sole intention of accompanying Julius, as per his request, not to engage my fans in conversation. Thankfully, after I speak up, the adults also come out of their hiding places and take their children away. All except for one adult and two of the children; one of these children hides herself a safe distance away from us, shyly. I can't help but feel thankful of their distrust towards God Eaters in this moment.

"Why don't you kids go and play? The God Eaters and I need to talk about grown-up stuff." I've met this woman before. I believe her name was something like Ikue. Still though, it appears that this woman wants to speak her mind to us.

"But… Blood's so cool!" Now that I think about it, I recognise this kid as well. I think he went by the name of Yosuke.

"I have come to make amends." Julius suddenly speaks up, startling Alisa and I. She seems to take this as her cue to leave and does so immediately; seemingly not wanting to interrupt Julius' apology. She gives me a pat on the shoulder before she does as a silent goodbye. "To apologise for all I'd done and to each victim of the black plague. Adults and children alike." That's why we're here? Couldn't you have done that when there was a swarm of children present?

"Black plague?" Yosuke questions. "Oh! You mean that disease." He finally comes to the realisation.

"Yes. I know you were infected as well. Well, it was I who had gathered them on Friar." Julius admits with guilt lacing his voice. However, shouldn't this kid know the name of the disease he was infected with?

"Frankly, I'm not sure I can forgive you." Ikue speaks up, her arms folded across her chest which implies a lack of trust towards my fellow God Eater. "Nonetheless, I suppose we wouldn't have the sacred ground if it weren't for you either." Wait, they already know about sacred ground? Why does it feel like I'm out of the loop here? "If you use that land and those crops to make something new. Then I'll consider forgiveness."

"Thank you, I swear to do all I can." Julius bows in respect of her answer.

"Do you have any children, Julius?" She must also know that he is no longer the captain of Blood.

"No, miss." He answers her truthfully.

"Whatever happens, my children's safety comes first. That's the purpose of being a parent." Ikue educates Julius on what being a parent is about. However, I feel as though I'm learning more than Julius is at the moment. I've always known it's a parent's duty to protect their children, but after what happened yesterday, I don't think Ciel and I will have any children for a while; especially since we're so young as well. Although, in this day and age, it isn't exactly uncommon to die young before of the constant threat of Aragami.

"Are you gonna build a factory to make the food Mister Julius, sir?" The child, Yosuke, enthusiastically speaks up.

"Not quite. We're going to clear the fields and grow new fruits and vegetables there." Julius responds to the kid's question.

"Ha! No way! That's not how food works!" The kid is disillusioned as to how food is grown so it makes sense that he wouldn't believe Julius' words.

"Long ago, fruits and vegetables grew from seeds planted in the ground." Julius educates the child with a wide smile on his face; he seems to be enjoying this conversation a lot. I wonder if he likes dealing with kids. If Ciel and I ever do have a kid, how would Julius react? "I know it seems rather far-fetched. What's your favourite food?" He asks the boy.

"I really like orange flavoured juice!" The kid responds a bit less enthusiastically as before.

"Then I suppose the first order of business is to grow oranges."

"You're gonna plant juice in the ground?!" Yosuke is bewildered, thinking that it is possible to plant juice. "H-Hey, can my little brother and I help?!" The kid's excitement seems to reach news levels.

"Of course you may. The more the merrier." I don't think I've ever heard Julius as positive as he is now. Maybe all of this farming work will do him some good in learning how to express his emotions more. He seems to be doing it fairly well at the moment.

"All right! We're gonna go to the mountains! Hey, Daichi! We're going to go with Blood!" Yosuke runs off to find his brother. I assume we'll be farming after we've finished here then.

"Are you sure about this? Don't back down from your promises." Ikue's scepticism is clear as day.

"I never hesitate to share hope, miss." Julius' tone returns to a serious one.

"Well, I'm certainly impressed so far. Heh. I must admit, even I'm excited to see how it turns out." Ikue finishes her sentence right as Yosuke and his brother come up to us; anxious to start working.

I was right, as soon as we had finished with Julius' apology, we headed off to sacred ground. There, I let Julius take charge on completing the conditions necessary to start growing the crops. Julius and I ploughed the fields, but when he had time, Julius would accompany the children and teach them how to plant seeds in the areas we ploughed. This continued for the next week, until all of the farming space was planted with seeds.


	135. Chapter 135 - Livie Character Episodes

Chapter 135

DISCLAIMER: I DO NOT OWN THE GOD EATER FRANCHISE HOWEVER I DO OWN MY OC.

Also, please leave a review!

Name: Cedrick Esparza  
Gender: Male  
Hairstyle: Style 7 (Dark Brown)

God Arc: Pyramus (Long Blade), F-SD Launcher II (Blast Gun), Kurogane Tower D (Tower Shield)  
Blood Art: IE Mk4: Detonate IV

"Hey Julius, was I awesome or what? I was awesome, wasn't I?" Romeo pesters Julius with a humoured tone that expects Julius to agree with him. The seven of us have just come back from our second-ever mission as a squad of seven people. The Vice-Captain, Ciel, had decided that a seven-person mission would be a nice way of introducing me back into combat, having spent an unexpected hiatus of missions due to my Chronic Fatigue. This is definitely a good way to get back into the flow of things, I just need to take it easy from here on; no longer should I operate more than 80 missions per week. In fact, even 30 is a bit of a stretch, or so I'm told by Director Sakaki.

"Heh," Gilbert scoffs as he walks alongside Romeo. "Just as awesome as always. I had front row seats to you getting your arse kicked." He jokes with Romeo, their interaction reminding me of how things were before Romeo's death.

"Truly, it was an excellent performance, Romeo." Julius speaks from the other side of Romeo, contradicting Gilbert's words. "You have progressed farther than I ever imagined you might." Ever since Blood became whole again, Julius seems as though he's gotten kinder to everyone. I can't remember him giving such an honest opinion to Romeo before.

"See, Gil! Julius gets me! It's all about mastering the art of masterful combat!" Romeo tries to rub Julius' words in the face of Gilbert with a smug look on his own face and a voice to match it.

"Hehehehe" I hear Livie, to the left of me, chuckling at their exchange.

"I don't think you're listening." Gilbert continues, however, a chuckle from Nana, to the right of me, takes my attention away from their bickering.

"Hehe! It's always really amazing to hear you laugh, Livie." The three of us, Nana, Ciel (to the right of Nana) and I all look towards Livie and she looks back to us, the smile having disappeared from her face in an attempt to hide what I assume is her embarrassment. "You've been super smiley lately. Hehe! I love it!" You can always trust Nana to say something like that.

"I… I have?" Livie expresses her surprise.

"She's right." Ciel chips in this time before offering her own little giggle. I can't help but relish the sound of it. "You seem much different than the girl with the hard eyes that we once met. You seem happy. Did something else change for you, Livie?" Ciel asks in curiosity but never dropping the happiness in her voice. Her question causes Livie to look away as she thinks to herself.

"No. Well… Not really." She quickly changes her course as she identifies something that may have caused her to become happier lately. There's a silence between our group now, but it isn't an awkward one. In this silence, I notice that even Romeo and Gilbert have stopped their little spat. "Although…" She speaks as she comes to a stop. Nana, Ciel and I stop too to wait for her to speak. Hearing a lack of footsteps behind them, Julius, Romeo and Gilbert also come to a stop, turning around to look at Livie as she continues speaking. "I'll tell you, if you like." She pauses as she collects her thoughts, "When we returned to the Far East Branch after discovering the sacred ground…"

0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0

"Corporal Livie, I'm glad to see you up and about." Director Isaac Feldman speaks his gratefulness at the woman before him.

"Thank you, Director. My convalescence is progressing quickly. I'll return to Fenrir Intelligence as soon as I'm able." Livie responds with a small bow of respect.

"I… am afraid that won't be possible." Feldman stutters as though he doesn't wish to have spoken those words.

"What do you mean?" Livie asks in shock. She is no longer allowed to return to her line of work? Fighting Aragami for the Intelligence Centre is all she has known how to do for a long time ever since she was abandoned by Dr. Rachel in Magnolia Compass, and now she can't return?

"I've been instructed to discharge you from service, effective immediately." The director's voice is solemn as he speaks. Clearly he doesn't want to act on his instructions, but he must. Livie gasps in shock. "With your Armlet lost, you've returned to a human state." Director Feldman looks everywhere apart from at Livie. "Every examination has rendered the same results. You can no longer wield other soldiers' God Arcs." He looks directly at her as he delivers this key information. To Livie, being able to wield others' God Arcs is what made her a vital necessity to Fenrir Intelligence, and now that she can no longer do that, she has been relinquished from her position. "As you can no longer execute those who have fallen to the infection… you are hereby released from your oaths. Your life is yours now, to do with as you see fit. You're free, Livie." Feldman explains the benefit of returning to a human state. She can no longer return to Fenrir Intelligence, yes, but now she can do whatever she wants with her life. Livie stares wide-eyed at the man who has been akin to a father figure to her. "Thank you for all you've done for Fenrir Intelligence. If you want, you can simply live as a human. You can reinvent yourself in any way you wish, live any life. Think of it, Livie… a future that's yours."

"A future that's… mine…" She raises a hand to her chest. For the first time in a very long time, she is able to decide what she wants to do with her life. "If that's true, Director. I believe I already know what I'd like to do." She raises her head, and with a confident, determined look in her eyes, she stares at Feldman. "I… have friends now. I want to serve with them."

"Hahaha, I thought as much." Feldman closes his eyes as a small smile makes its way onto his face. "And I'm damn proud to hear it."

"Since Julius's return, we've taken great strides with the P66 Bias Factor. The same one used by your friends in Blood Special Forces." Director Feldman speaks to Livie as she prepares for the injection of the Bias Factor through the implanting of an Armlet which will, once again, allow her to become a God Eater. "The improved factor has already been administered to the others. I am happy to say they have picked up their Arcs once more." Livie places her hand over her God Arc. "If you're ready, there's a chance this can restore your strength. You won't be able to wield any Arc, but you can certainly hold your own." The Armlet is quickly attached to her wrist and the Bias Factor is injected…

Standing atop the roof with her God Arc in hand, Livie raises her Arc as she stares towards the sun. She makes a silent oath to herself that she will help defend and protect her new friends with the very Arc she holds in her hand, and she brings it closer to her as she finishes her silent oath.

0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0

"I had long hoped…" Livie continues, "That one day I could truly fight beside you. And now that wish has come true." The conviction pours from Livie's heart as she confesses her greatest dream coming true. I, and I'm sure the others also feel the love towards us emanating from the woman with the red hood. "I can use this God Arc, my God Arc, to protect this world and the people I care about. And that… that fills me with joy." She gives a loving smile as her speech comes to a conclusion. I can't help but close my eyes and smile warmly at her words. Her speech reminded me of Director Feldman's last words to me before he and the Intelligence Centre left the Far East.

0-0-0-0-0-0-0

"How are you faring, Livie? Have you been getting along with the Blood unit?" Director Feldman asks the woman despite having his back towards her. Only the three of us are in the room at the moment. Apparently, Feldman wanted to give Livie his goodbyes before he had to return to headquarters.

"Yes, very well in fact. Everyone in the Far East Branch has been exceedingly kind." Livie answers her former commander.

"I'm glad." Feldman's voice reflects his words. He turns towards the woman as he continues to speak, "The first time on a path that you yourself have chosen. I have full faith in you. We'll be leaving for headquarters soon. Captain," He turns towards me. "I leave Livie in your care."

"She'll be happy here." I give him my sincerest words.

"Hm… Remember, I think of her as my own daughter. I assure you I will be keeping watch." He tries to indirectly threaten me, however, I've already grown used to his demeanour so his threat becomes empty. "Well, I must depart. Headquarters demands news on your managing of the sacred ground. I shall allay their fears." With those being his final words, he walks between the both of us as he heads for the door to the meeting room.

"Director Feldman…!" Livie shouts after him, before he can reach the door. Livie's outburst causes the man to stop in his tracks. "Thank you. Thank you for everything." Livie bows deeply, showing the respect she has for him.

"Know that I expect truly great things of you, Livie." It isn't until the man a few minutes after the man leaves the room that Livie picks her head up and we leave the room too.

0-0-0-0-0-0-0

We've since returned back to the Far East Branch, and where else would we be other than the Lounge. It seems to be our favourite place to be in the Far East. For me, there's just something about this place. Maybe it's the food, or maybe it's how open this place can be. Anyone can enter the Lounge and chat to me at any time. There's a lot of good things here that can't be seen anywhere else. Ciel, like Ciel usually always does in the Lounge, tends to enormous Capybara. Livie leans against the bar and occasionally steals glances at Ciel and the animal.

"Ah!" Ciel gasps and I see her hand quickly recoil from the animal. Before I can say anything to my girlfriend, little red riding hood beats me to it.

"Ciel, are you all right?"

"Yes, I'm fine, Livie. Cappy merely nipped me." Ciel's speaks slightly quicker than she usually does. I can't tell if she's trying to be sarcastic, or if she is genuinely fine. Although, since she's the one person that's been tending to the rodent the most, I assume she probably is fine with it.

"He bit you? Here, may I see it?" Livie kicks herself away from the bar and walks towards Ciel who offers her hand to Livie. I guess she wasn't being sarcastic then. Livie inspects Ciel's hand for a while before she says anything. "Thank goodness. It's not a deep wound. Hm… Although your sleeve was torn a little." Wait, hang on. I thought Cappy bit her hand… so why would her sleeve be torn? "If you bring it to me later, I'd be glad to mend it for you. He was likely just angling for more attention. I'll be sure to speak to him about this." Livie continues while Nana and I merely watch their interaction. Unfortunately, Nana is so invested in their conversation that she doesn't realise she is leaning on the pool table and I'm waiting for her to move so I can take my turn. It's already bad enough that she's winning, now she just seems to be rubbing it in my face.

Livie's really starting to feel like a member of the team, huh?" Nana looks back towards me, having finished gazing at my girlfriend and the newest member of Blood. "She's kinda like a big sister to everyone in Blood." Really? I'm not sure I've seen anything that would suggest that. I suppose Nana has been around Livie for longer than I have this past week or so. It makes sense that she would see something like that. However, what I'm more concerned with is that Nana seems to have finally shifted from the pool table, although not enough as I still wouldn't be able to play with her leaning on it like she is. "Oh, Captain! Did I tell you how Livie scolded Gil and Romeo after that last mission, where they got all scratched up?" Ah, this must have been one of the missions I sent them on while I was unable to go on a mission myself. I think I remember Romeo telling me about it. "They were all ' _we're boys, so we're tough. We'll be fine_ ,' and Livie was all, ' _Um, no, it'll totally get infected!_ ' Haha!" She giggles as she recounts the memory. However, her attention has returned to the conversation the bite victim and nurse are having some distance in front of us, and her arms are still on the pool table. Meanwhile, I'm just standing with the pool queue in my hand, occasionally touching the table, making sure to make a visible noise with it, to get Nana to pay attention to our game. "She chased them around with soap and water! The looks on their faces were priceless! I wish you'd gotten to see it, Captain."

"It won't be the last time that happens." I make sure to express my irritation in my voice.

"Haha! That's for sure!" Nana merely chuckles, completely ignoring my irritation.

"I'm sure it was an entertaining sight." I speak up, the irritation finally getting the better of me. "Now, let's return to our game."

"Oh yeah, you finally going to pocket a ball?" She mocks my inability to actually pocket a ball this game.

"Shut up, Nana. Arms off of the table." I line up my next shot.

"Oh, Captain," My words must have caught the attention of the girl with a red hood as she walks closer towards me. She gazes at my neck. "Your collar is rather frayed. I'll be making good use of my sewing kit. Bring it to me later and I'll fix it right up."

"Sure thing, Livie." I quickly dismiss her words as I focus all of my attention on putting enough precision into my shot to make the ball fall into the pocket. Finally, I let loose and hit the white ball into the ball I'm trying to pocket. It bounce off of the side before finally heading towards the pocket.

"Oh?" Nana utters as the two of us look on in surprise. She had managed to get me into a corner with her last shot, so she is surprised when I somehow managed to hit the necessary ball and it rolls towards one of the corner pockets. However, the ball stops just before it enters the pocket and I can't help but grumble. I didn't put enough power into the shot. "Haha! You still didn't pocket it!" I grumble again at Nana's words. She's strangely competitive at this game. I slump onto the couch and accept defeat as Nana, like a professional, manages to put her remaining balls before potting the final ball; the black one, and thus winning the game. As she gloats about her win to my girlfriend and little red riding hood, I try to shrink into the couch as my embarrassment of losing overcomes me. When Julius enters the Lounge and asks for help at the sacred ground, I couldn't leave the Lounge any quicker than I did as we prepare for another day of farming.


	136. Chapter 136 - A Surprise Return (Arc 4)

Chapter 136

DISCLAIMER: I DO NOT OWN THE GOD EATER FRANCHISE HOWEVER I DO OWN MY OC.

Also, please leave a review!

Name: Cedrick Esparza  
Gender: Male  
Hairstyle: Style 7 (Dark Brown)

God Arc: Pyramus (Long Blade), F-SD Launcher II (Blast Gun), Kurogane Tower D (Tower Shield)  
Blood Art: IE Mk4: Detonate IV

A/N: I'm starting the next Arc now. I can't wait any more and I'm sure you can't either.

Six months has passed since the events of the Spiral Tree, and this is the first time in my history as a God Eater that things have been so quiet for so long. I feel as though I've grown closer to everyone in the Branch as I've undergone many missions with everyone. I also seem to have finally gotten the hang of farming; Blood did encounter a bit of a problem when no food could be grown, but Romeo introduced us to the people that once looked after him and they had helped us with the farming. Apparently, the soil's pH level wasn't right for farming. However, we were able to overcome this and make progress with the crops. It took a few months, but they had finally grown enough to be harvested and I can honestly say that consuming food that we had grown felt amazing and tasted equally as good.

Additionally, and more importantly, my relationship with Ciel has progressed considerably as well. Although we still very much like to keep things quiet while in public, we can still do things like holding hands, hugging and even give each other a peck on the cheek without much embarrassment. Behind closed doors is a different story though and we get to be much closer to each other. Unfortunately, due to our line of work, we cannot share a bedroom together, although that hasn't stopped us from trying to do so. Though, we've been unsuccessful numerous times…

The date is the 16th December, it's almost the end of the year. Before that though, there are a few events that must occur; events that should be celebrated. The most obvious of which is Christmas. There is also Christmas Eve and New Year's Eve. However, there is one more crucially important event that must be celebrated, and it occurs on the 17th December; tomorrow. Hence, I am currently exploring the shopping district in the Outer Ghetto in search of a gift. I sent my girlfriend, Ciel, on a mission along with Nana, Kanon and Erina. This is mainly to keep the four of them out of the way while I search for a gift. I know that if any of the latter three discovered what it is I'm searching for, they'd blab about it to Ciel. After all, it's a gift for Ciel I'm searching for; it is her birthday tomorrow, after all.

"You've known about her birthday for a while, right? Why didn't you get her something earlier?" I'm not the only person who is currently shopping in the Outer Ghetto. I had brought Haruomi along, being the lady's man as he is, I thought he'd be able to help me pick out a good gift for Ciel. I already have an idea of what I want to give her, but I'm going to need a second opinion before I decide on anything.

"It's taken me a while to decide on what I want to give her for her birthday." I tell him carefully, not wanting to give too much away.

"So, you already know what you want to give her? Then why am I here?" He complains. I had taken him away from a woman back at the Branch who had apparently visited just to see the Captain of Blood Special Forces; me. I found out that Haruomi had spread my image across the world, without my permission, so now I'd be surprised if someone in the world doesn't know about me and what I've accomplished in the Far East. Haru did this so that he could advertise that he is a good friend of mine and easily try to have sexual relations with all the females that have visited me. It never works for him though. Despite how he went against my wishes of releasing my image to the world, I could never hate him for it. I mean, he has helped me out in many ways too. Today is just one of those days that he'll help me.

"I need a second opinion on what I choose." After all, what I'm planning to get could make or break the rest of Ciel's and my life. "This is important for…" I turn to look at him, only to see him sprinting away from me through a crowd of people. My blood begins to boil as I realise that he has ditched me. "That. Fucking. Cunt." I growl, the anger in my voice scaring away those that heard me. I try to let my anger subside since I'm in public. When I next see Haruomi though, I'm going to beat the shit out of him. I focus on my surroundings and identify my surroundings. As I've been thinking and reflecting, I've ended up wandering past where I need to go. I can't help the growl of frustration that leaves my mouth at the thought of having to back up on myself but eventually do so…

A few minutes later, I find myself in front of a familiar looking shop; the same shop I had gotten a necklace with three silver bullets for Ciel. My face contorts to a frown as I remember how I was rejected.

"I didn't think I'd see you again." The person behind the counter speaks up and forces me out of my thoughts. "Did you want to buy something?" The person gives me a token customer service smile while I look at all of the jewellery on display. Nothing catches my eye after my first pass through all of the jewellery. After a second pass through all of the items, I realise that there is nothing of the sort I'm looking for.

"Please don't get that one. Please don't get that one." I hear a person whispering from behind me in the queue but choose to ignore it.

"You don't sell rings?" I ask in surprise and see the smile on the person's face drop as they instead offer me a small apologetic smile.

"I'm sorry, but these days there aren't that many people that look for rings." The person replies in a tone that matches their expression. "But I'm sure if you keep looking, you'll find what you're looking for."

"Oh, I see-"

"—Hey, you're looking for rings?" I feel a hand on my shoulder and turn my head to see a person I've never met before. This person is also about a head taller than me which forces me to look up to see his face. I nod my head at his question. "I know a great place where you can buy a ring. Do you think you could wait for me while I buy something here?" He lightly moves me to the side and points to something straight away. I realise after a few seconds that this person's voice is the same as the one I heard a little earlier. This must have been the man that was begging that I didn't choose the item that he wanted to buy. I take another few steps to the side so the man can make his purchase. In the meantime, I give a look at his appearance. The man looks to be about six and a half feet tall and has a muscular build. Tightly clinging to his torso is a blue dress shirt and he also wears black trousers. On his face is a small pair of glasses. However, what surprises me more is that he has an Armlet, suggesting he is a God Eater. This man, though, has an Armlet on his left arm. I've never seen a left-handed God Eater before, so I can't help the surprise that makes its way onto my face.

"Right. Now that that is finished, why don't I show you to where you can buy a ring, eh, Captain?" The man speaks up as he walks towards me and away from the shop.

"Captain?" I repeat in surprise. Does he know me?

"You're Captain Esparza, right? Of Blood Special Forces?" I can only nod my head at his question. I'm not sure why I'm surprised that he knows of me. After all, it was only earlier that I was thinking about how Haruomi had shared my image across the world. It only makes sense that this God Eater knows who I am. "Well then, let's go." He walks by me and I can only stare after him as he goes. I notice that the back of his shirt is ripped in two places, symmetrical of his spine. This guy does realise we're in the middle of winter, right? Is he not cold? According to weather reports, it's going to snow soon, and yet he is wearing a shirt that is full of holes. "Hey, you coming, Captain?" He shouts, turning his head towards me.

"Yeah." I run to catch up to him, although he didn't go too far.

I follow the man as we make our way wordlessly towards a shop that sells rings. I can't help but feel awkward in this situation. This man knows me, and yet I don't know him. What's more, is that he seems to be the type not to reveal much about himself. After all, I don't even know his name. I'm not exactly shy, but if I just suddenly asked 'who are you?' that's not going to look very good.

"So, why do you want to buy a ring anyway?" The man asks plainly, emotionlessly. It seems as though he isn't really interested in why I am wanting to buy a ring and is only asking to avoid the awkwardness between us.

"You don't seem interested enough for me to respond to that." I tell him just as plainly as he asked. He looks towards me and I see his stoic face show a bit of surprise at my answer. "Besides, I don't think I can tell a person I don't know the name of." A very small smile makes its way onto its face.

"You remind me of a younger me." He replies with a slight amount of humour in his voice.

"I always seem to remind someone of someone else." It's true. Alisa, Soma, Kota, Emil, everyone from the Far East Branch has mentioned that I remind them of someone they know at some point.

"Haha." The man chuckles lightly. "I'm not surprised. I guess you get along well with Cradle then?" The man suddenly speaks the name of a unit under the care of the Far East Branch.

"You know about Cradle?" I don't mask the surprise in my voice.

"Of course. It'd be impossible for me not to know about Cradle." He replies solemnly and I can't help but wonder if he has some animosity towards the group. Before I can ask though, he suddenly comes to a stop in front of a shop. I take a look at the shop and see a large selection of jewellery, including a few different rows of rings. I was expecting to see more rings, but I suppose that even this shop must need more necklaces and other types of jewellery since they don't sell enough rings to make a living. "We're here." He speaks up and I peer at the rows of rings that are on display. The first thing I notice about them is the price.

"They're not cheap, are they?" I can't help but ask as I go over the prices of some of the rings. The lowest of them is ten million Fenrir Credits. I can definitely afford any of these rings, but not without them leaving a visible dent in my wallet.

"Of course they aren't cheap." The man behind the counter speaks up suddenly. "Don't you know how difficult it is to make these sorts of things these days?" He grumbles.

"Is there a certain type of ring you're looking for?" The God Eater that showed me the way to this shop asks, and I can hear a bit of curiosity in his voice.

"No, I'm sure any ring will do the job." I reply to him simply as my sight rests on a silver ring with a green gem sitting atop it. "I know that back in the past there were numerous different types of rings for different situations. However, due to their scarcity, I assume it doesn't matter what type of ring I buy." I educate him on my reasoning. "I'll take this one." I put at the ring my sight rested upon.

"Ah, I see. That's a very nice choice." The man smiles widely as he takes the ring out of the display and places it into a small, cushioned box before placing it on the counter. "The emerald on this ring was the last emerald found before the Aragami came." I'm fairly certain that he's lying to me.

"Do you take direct Fenrir Credits?" There's no chance that I'm going to carry around that much Fenrir Credits with me. Thus, the only logical way is to use the direct way of transferring money from one account of another.

"Of course. Right this way." He leads me behind the counter and shows me the slot wherein I put my Armlet into. The money, 23 million Fenrir Credits (FC), is taken from my account and instantly put into the man's account. "Excellent." He gives a wide smile as he gives me the box with the ring in it. "Here you go." To be safe, I open the box and see the exact ring that I had chosen. I've learned to check these sorts of things as you never know when somebody will try to scam you out of a ton of money. It wouldn't have surprised me if he had replaced this ring with the ten million FC ring and ripped me off by a further 13 million FC. I move back to the other side of the counter and begin walking away. The God Eater that accompanied me walking beside me. "Feel free to come again!" The man shouts as we leave his shop.

"So, where are you going now?" I ask the God Eater walking alongside me.

"I'm heading back to the Far East Branch." He says to my slight surprise since I had assumed, he would need to go back to the Far East Branch to return to grab a ride back to whatever Branch he belongs to. "I've been gone for so long!" He stretches as he speaks as though he can finally relax. It's these words that surprise me though.

Eventually, we reach the Den and we enter as we head into the Lounge.

"By the way, I still don't know your name." I inform the God Eater beside me. He offers me a smile.

"I'm Winter of the Independent Unit of Cradle." It takes me a few seconds before his words remind me of something. However, in case that wasn't enough, I see a familiar head of pink rush towards the man. My student takes the man into a tight hold which he returns.

"It's been so long, Winter." I can hear the excitement in her voice. I can only keep staring at the scene as more people begin to surround the man.

"It has, Kanon." I hear the man speak lovingly which shocks me. It's definitely a surprise to her this stoic man speak his emotions to my student. However, I have come to realise that this man is the boyfriend that Kanon holds so dear to her heart. "So long." He speaks again. Then, to my utter horror, a pair of black wings sprout from the man's back and wrap around the two of them. Without thinking, I go to the counter and grab the nearest weapon…


	137. Chapter 137 - Explanation

Chapter 137

DISCLAIMER: I DO NOT OWN THE GOD EATER FRANCHISE HOWEVER I DO OWN MY OC.

Also, please leave a review!

Name: Cedrick Esparza  
Gender: Male  
Hairstyle: Style 7 (Dark Brown)

God Arc: Pyramus (Long Blade), F-SD Launcher II (Blast Gun), Kurogane Tower D (Tower Shield)  
Blood Art: IE Mk4: Detonate IV

As my hand encloses around a sharp weapon, I feel a hand on top of my wrist. It prevents me from lifting the object and I turn to the owner of it.

"I don't think it is what you think it is." The calm voice of Julius instils reason within me. He takes his hand off of my wrist once he sees that I've calmed down. Our attention returns to the winged demon and the girl enclosed within its wings. Strangely, those who had gathered around the God Eater stand a bit further back than they had previously been; letting whatever is happening happen. I don't understand this situation. I take a step forward before I feel a hand on my shoulder, further preventing me from interfering.

"I don't think you should interrupt them." Livie speaks up, removing her hand from my shoulder once she knows she has my attention.

"What should we do then?" Nana makes her confusion known as she stands beside us.

"Hang on, guys." At the shocked voice of Romeo, my attention turns towards him as he approaches us from within the group that was standing by the God Eater named Winter's side. "You don't know who that guy is? He's one of a kind." There is clear admiration in his voice.

"We could tell that by the wings, Romeo." Nana's retort further continues the conversation.

"They're getting confused. I should probably tell them." I hear the God Eater whom I met today speak up as his wings recede into his back. Maybe his wings are similar to the golden wheel that protrudes from my back from Blood Rage?

"Hmm." An only just audible hum from Kanon can be heard as her face is pushed into the chest of her boyfriend. He places a hand on her head and embraces her in another hug. "I have to introduce you to my Instructor."

"Ah, I heard about your instructor. He's the Captain of Blood Special Forces, right?" Winter asks knowingly while the people in question continue to stare at the two as they talk, myself included. Kanon nods her head into Winter's chest. I'm not sure what to think about this open display of affection. I wonder if people feel like this when they see Ciel and I together. "Well, let's get to the introductions." He pats Kanon on the head and she eventually unlocks herself from him. The two of them walk towards us, a huge smile on the face of Kanon and a small smile on the face of the former Captain of the 1st Unit.

"Instructor, Blood, this is Winter!" Kanon puts her boyfriend on display, "Former Captain of the 1st Unit and currently in Mobile Operations Unit, Cradle." Winter offers a small wave at his introduction. "He's been very busy working away from the Branch."

"Yeah, sorry I wasn't able to help out with the Spiral Tree." Winter states in a slightly apologetic tone.

"Sorry if this is a bit rude, Winter," Now that his introduction is out of the way, I can get to the more important matter at hand, "But what was that?" He blinks in surprise and I feel an elbow hit my ribs. As I grunt in pain and surprise, I take a look at my assailant to see my girlfriend of almost seven months was the one that hit me.

"I apologise for our Captain's rudeness." Ciel bows her head, and the heads of the rest of my crew follow along with her. I don't bow to the man in front of me though. In my mind, this man is dangerous. No normal God Eater can freely summon wings and control them as if they were just another limb. Winter can't be trusted. He could endanger the lives of my teammates; I won't bow to a threat, just like how I won't bow to an Aragami. I sigh at the actions of my teammates.

"Don't worry about it." Winter gives a dismissive gesture with his hand. "You must be one of the people that haven't heard of me." What, is he a celebrity or something?

"I think the only one to have heard from you in Blood is Romeo." I point towards the man I'm referring to and Winter takes a glance at him.

"I think I remember you." A hand makes its way under Winter's chin as he reflects on his memories. "You were at one of the events where I had to sign some things." Romeo raises his head and has an ecstatic look on his face as Winter recalls their previous meeting. Despite the confusion the rest of us have, I decide to speak up before Romeo can start a conversation that will send us off on a tangent.

"Continue." I feel another elbow from the side. This time though, I had already anticipated it meaning that it barely hurt.

"Heh." Winter chuckles dryly. "You'll have to be patient with me here, okay?" Can't he just state why he has wings? Why is he so hesitant? None of us reply to him as we wait for Winter to continue. "Haaa" He sighs. "I'm what is known as a humanoid Aragami." His words ring in my mind.

"Humanoid?" Apparently, his words also ring in Ciel's mind, though she's focusing on the wrong thing.

"That sounds like you're a threat to us." The hate in my voice can be clearly heard and I wouldn't be surprised if I had scared a few of my teammates. Surely they understand though, who would have thought we'd have the chance to talk to an Aragami. Ciel grabs my shoulders firmly, preventing me from doing something I doubt I would regret.

"Wait." My student speaks up suddenly from beside her boyfriend, her hands raised to emphasise her words. "He's not a threat. Winter used to be a human!" Kanon tries to reason with me in an effort to calm me down.

"Used to be?" I can't help but repeat. "So, he's not anymore?" My eyes lock onto Winter's. I look for any emotions that may be in his eyes, but I see none. His stoic expression only further cements the hate I feel towards the man. "This must be what talking to an Aragami feels like." I can't say my reason for those words as I've already seen that he has some emotions. One of which is love for his girlfriend. Let me go over Kanon's words once more; He used to be a human… "So, he's an Aragami that still has human tendencies such as emotions?" I used emotions as an example, even though he's shown very few of them.

"That sounds close enough." Winter offers a small, calculated smile which I do not reciprocate. "Like Kanon said, I used to be a human. However, something happened that made me develop Oracle Cells in my body. Human cells replace themselves every so often. However, my human cells couldn't which means that Oracle Cells had to replace them." His explanation is slightly scientific, but he leaves out crucial information.

"You're being very ambiguous." I call him out, the anger having faded from my voice which causes Ciel to relinquish her hold on my shoulders. I still don't like this situation. A humanoid Aragami? I know that I've heard about that somewhere, but there's no guarantee that my friends and I will be safe in the presence of this one.

"I must admit, the Captain is right." Livie comes to my aid, proving I'm not the only person here who finds the situation strange.

"What is this _something_ you speak of?" Julius is the one to ask Winter. "I'm sure if you inform us, we'll have a better understanding of your situation." I smile at Julius' words. It's not a sinister smile, it's a smile that unconsciously spreads on my face as I realise my team is backing me up.

"That makes sense." Kanon smiles warmly, tilting her head to the side as she turns towards her boyfriend. "You're the only one that can tell them that." Winter nods his head to his girlfriend. Is he whipped?

"Things might get a bit more technical, so bear with me." The man warns us with an understanding look on his formerly stoic face. "It'll also get a bit long winded." He adds as an afterthought. "So, I didn't join the rank of God Eaters through the usual means of Bias Factor tests."

"Really?" Gilbert, the God Eater of five years shows his surprise, "That's the only way a person can become a God Eater though. You're saying that didn't happen to you?"

"Well, not exactly." He scratches the back of his head as he tries to think of what to say next. "I was fighting Aragami long before I became a God Eater, you see." He informs us with his arms folded across his chest, not boasting but more like he's brushing off this incredulous lie as if it was real.

"It's true. Trust me." Before I can call Winter out on his bullshit, his girlfriend backs up his words. I still don't believe that someone was able to fight Aragami without a God Arc – something you can only get by becoming a God Eater.

"I would usually use spears that I fashioned out of Cocoon Maidens." Not a muscle twitches on Winter's face as he continues his well thought out lie. I'll admit though, it is an interesting lie. "One day, while I was searching for my next meal—"

"—You sure you weren't an Aragami back then too?" The words escape my mouth. It doesn't sound as though he had a home, or a family for that matter, and was always on the move as he searched for something to eat. That sounds a lot like an Aragami to me.

"Hahahaha!" He laughs heartily which greatly unnerves me, I try not to let it show though. "I can see why you think that." He continues after he recovers from his hysterical outburst, wiping a tear from his eye in the process. Surely, I'm the one that should be laughing at such an incredulous fable. "Anyway, one day, I ran into Director Sakaki – who was a doctor at the time – as well as Soma and Sakuya. They pretty much forced me into becoming a God Eater as they told me I had gotten careless with one of my hunts and they were able to collect a blood sample from me and conducted tests with Bias Factors on it. That's how my compatibility with the Bias Factor was measured. So, technically, I didn't go through the usual method to become a God Eater." He looks at Gilbert as he answers.

"I see." Gil nods his head in response, seemingly satisfied with Winter's answer.

"Nothing much really happened after that. I steadily learned how to become a God Eater, made friends with everyone and things like that. It wasn't until me and a few other people met a humanoid Aragami that things started to change."

"Another one?" I blurt out and, once again, interrupt Winter as he recounts his story. I notice that Kanon looks down to the ground with a sombre look on her face. I assume this humanoid Aragami didn't survive for very long.

"At the time, I wasn't a humanoid Aragami. I was still a regular human. Unfortunately, the Aegis Project took this humanoid Aragami away from us. Before she disappeared though, she had went missing. Soma and I went to retrieve her. We found her singing atop a pile of defeated Aragami. As he singing continued, a pair of wings emerged from my back." He stops speaking as he rubs his own back. Kanon quickly takes over for him. "I still remember how it ached back then."

"So, a humanoid Aragami singing caused you to become a humanoid Aragami?" Ciel raises a question and I know seconds later what she was thinking.

"Was anyone else affected? Did Soma become a humanoid Aragami?" Surely not. He has never seemed like an Aragami. Plus, I've never seen him grow wings or anything like that. But, for some reason, if Soma was a humanoid Aragami, I feel as though that wouldn't change anything between us; if he's always been different like that, then that means he was like that when I met him. If Soma had wanted to attack my friends or I, he would have done so already.

"No, just me. As it turned out, from my days of using Cocoon Maiden Spears, I had an abnormal compatibility rating with my God Arc. The rating increased drastically as the wings emerged from my back." He explains before turning his head slightly to see his girlfriend behind him. "Thanks, Kanon. You can stop now."

"The humanoid Aragami's song was the trigger? Nothing else happened?" Livie asks Winter as we wait for him to continue his story.

"I didn't know it at the time, but whenever they were damaged beyond repair, something completely new would replace them." Winter's response leaves us with more questions than answers.

"What do you mean by that?" Romeo enquires. He mustn't know everything about the man in front of us despite being a massive fan of his.

"Well, sometimes different coloured wings would appear. Also, do you know what a Gawain is?" Winter asks us something this time and we nod our heads. "A huge pair of arms with claws at the end of them would emerge. It was around that time when the Branch had to expand their corridors so I could fit through them. Have you ever noticed how huge they are?"

"You don't have them anymore though, you have black wings." I mention. If a pair of Gawain arms had suddenly sprouted from his back, I'd have been even more concerned about them than the wings he has. Winter nods his head solemnly.

"About a year ago, before I left with Cradle for a very long mission, I had a dangerous encounter which resulted in me losing those arms. Instead of gaining a new pair, or anything else, over a very short period of time, these black wings took eight months before they reached their optimum size."

"They stopped growing four months ago?" Romeo's question elicits a sharp nod of the head from Winter.

"So, as you can imagine, I had to relearn how to fight because I had always used my new appendages," He points to his back as his wings emerge at his will, "I was pretty much a beginner again." Due to the lack of surprise on his girlfriend's face, I assume they've kept in contact and she was already aware of this development. "That's when my girlfriend suggested that I become a pupil of her instructor."

"Hahaha." I can't help the chuckle that escapes me. However, all humour I had felt disappears as soon as I see Winter and Kanon bow their heads.

"I hope you can accept me, Instructor." The man speaks up with audible respect.

"We'll work hard while you teach us." Kanon chips in, clearly trying to bargain Winter's way into becoming my student. I can only stare in shock and surprise at the two before me.

"Heh." Julius chuckles and I feel him pat me on the shoulder. A lot of people have been doing that lately. I guess I can permit my girlfriend and my Blood Unit to do that, but I'm not really comfortable with physical touching. "You've got another student to teach, Captain. I'll understand if you can't help with the farming as often as you have before." Julius steps forward as Winter and Kanon raise their heads. I notice a smile on both of their faces. Kanon's smile is one of pure happiness; I'm sure she is happy that she can be a student together with her boyfriend. Winter's smile unnerves me though. There's something about that smile that suggests that he is hiding something. Or at least, that's what it feels like. "It's nice to meet you, Winter." Julius extends his hand towards the man. "I am Julius Visconti of Blood Special Forces." He introduces himself to my new student, and thus initiates the rest of my team to introduce themselves to him. Eventually, it's my time to introduce myself.

"If you're gonna be my student you're going to need to work hard." I offer my hand to him, reluctantly before I offer a cheeky smile, "If you're lucky, you might even learn a Blood Art."

"I've heard about your Evoke ability. If I can learn a Blood Art because of you, I would be very grateful." He responds, shaking my hand firmly as he speaks, and I can hear the respect flowing from his voice. He seems very different to the person I met in the Outer Ghetto.

After a few more hours of my unit talking to Winter, and I occasionally offering the odd sentence or two, we decide to call it a day. We all split up as we approach our rooms. Entering my room, I lie on the bed and stare at the ceiling, not feeling particularly tired but still trying to empty my mind. After a few minutes, I rotate my body and feel something flat against my leg. I decide to return to my original position of lying face-up, staring at the ceiling as I retrieve the item from my pocket and bring it closer to my eyes to view it. My eyes widen as I remember what the item is.

"The ring!" I sit up sharply as I begin to panic that I may have crushed the ring. Opening the box as carefully as I can, I breathe a sigh of relief as I notice it's unharmed. I place the ring on a nearby flat surface before returning to my original position. With the suddenness of Winter's introduction, I had completely forgotten about Ciel's birthday. All I can think to myself is that I'm glad I had went shopping when I did… "But how will I do it?" I continue staring at the dark ceiling above me as situations arise in my head; speaking to Ciel in a room away from everyone else; going on a mission with just her so I can guarantee some alone time with her; waiting until night to give it to her… There are so many possibilities. "Wait." I can't help but speak aloud although no one apart from me will hear it. "The only thing I've gotten Ciel is a ring… Doesn't that mean… I'm her present?" My heart races as the words leave my mouth. The fact that I've only gotten Ciel a ring means exactly that, doesn't it? My gift to her… is me. What's worse is, I don't have any other gift to give Ciel, meaning that when we have her party (which we always do have parties for when it is a person's birthday) she can't open my gift as the only one I have is the ring which I'm planning on giving to her later… "Fuck!" I can't be the only one not to give Ciel a gift for her to open! What the fuck am I supposed to do?! Think, Cedrick think!

The minutes pass by and my thoughts come to a standstill. I've been thinking so hard that I've exhausted myself, and a blackness overcomes me leaving me with the last though of "I've failed" before I drift into unconsciousness.


	138. Chapter 138 - Ciel's Birthday!

Chapter 138

DISCLAIMER: I DO NOT OWN THE GOD EATER FRANCHISE HOWEVER I DO OWN MY OC.

Also, please leave a review!

Name: Cedrick Esparza  
Gender: Male  
Hairstyle: Style 7 (Dark Brown)

God Arc: Pyramus (Long Blade), F-SD Launcher II (Blast Gun), Kurogane Tower D (Tower Shield)  
Blood Art: IE Mk4: Detonate IV

A/N: I'm writing this note because I know that this chapter is going to come out late. I've only written the first part of this as of when I'm writing this note because I need to do more research into this type of chapter. With it being Ciel's birthday party, I really want it to go well. I usually get tired of writing part way into the chapter which I believe may ruin this one. Hence, this chapter is going to be completed over multiple days since I really want it to be a quality chapter.

"Grrr…" I can't help but growl as the rays of the bright morning sun shines down onto my face and wakes me from my sleep. I turn to my side and relish in the darkness that my shadow provides. However, it isn't enough to return to the land of dreams. I bring my hands to my eyes to rub the sleep out of them before slowly climbing into a sitting position. I look towards my clock and see that it reads as 05:35. The current date is the 17th December. I frown at the clock as it doesn't make sense for the sun to be out this early considering we're in the middle of winter. With a groan, I slowly swing my legs out of my bed and let my feet come to a rest on the floor.

"Hup!" I utter as I slowly bring myself out of the bed, still feeling groggy. I get myself dressed before I head out of the room and head towards the Lounge to get some breakfast.

Surprisingly, despite it being so early in the morning, I already see Mutsumi behind the counter in the middle of the lounge.

"Morning, Mutsumi." I greet her as I stumble towards the counter still feeling drowsy, taking a seat as she replies with a not-so-happy,

"Morning to you too, Captain." I assume her tone is due to waking up this early. After all, even my tone changes when I'm tired. I'm sure we'll both wake up properly soon. "You're up early." I debate on whether to reply with the fact that she is awake at the same time as me or not to reply at all.

"After the sun wakes me up, I can never get back to sleep." I inform her, laying my head drowsily on my hands.

"It's strange to see the sun so early, isn't it?" Mutsumi brings up my previous thoughts. "Well, it's good to see the sun." She continues once she realises I wasn't going to answer that question which I thought was rhetorical. "It's always good to celebrate when its sunny." At her comment, my eyes open wide as I suddenly realise why she used the verb _celebrate_ ; It's Ciel's birthday today, and I've only gotten the ring for her as a gift.

"Grr…" I let gravity bring my head crashing down onto the counter. The sudden pain in my head wakes me completely up.

"What's wrong?" A shocked Mutsumi enquires because of my actions. She sounds more alert than she was before.

"I've only gotten Ciel one gift." I grumble out, raising my head after I've spoken and absentmindedly rubbing the area that collided with the hard surface of the counter.

"What's wrong with that?" Confusion laces Mutsumi's voice before silence falls between the two of us.

"I'm not sure I can discuss this with a nine-year old." Calmly, I inform her why I can't relay any more information to her. I mean, I could, but I highly doubt I can get any useful information from a child.

"O-okay." She splutters. I'm not surprised though, considering how suddenly the subject was brought up and then how suddenly it was dismissed, it's no wonder why she is speechless. "Anyway," I hear her say in an attempt to keep the conversation going. All I can think about is Ciel though and what her response will be to only be getting one gift and that gift technically being me. I'm sure she'll be disappointed that she hasn't gotten something she can use. "You're here for breakfast, right?" Mutsumi asks me. "Just give me a minute to set everything up and then I can make something for you. In the meantime, why don't you decide on what you want?" In response, I give Mutsumi a thumbs up as I rest my head on the counter and think to myself, not on what I want for breakfast, but what I can do for Ciel to show my love for her that isn't in the form of a gift.

A couple of minutes pass and I'm unable to think of anything that could show my love for Ciel, other than the usual things couples do like hugging and the like. However, since we'll pretty much be in public company for most of the day, I won't be able to do things like that often. We're not really the expressive type while in public, everything usually happens behind closed doors.

"So, what do you want then?" I raise my head and see the small girl standing in front of me, an apron covering her clothes.

"What do you have?" I mumble my response. The mental strain of thinking about Ciel is beginning to make me fatigued. That, plus the fact that I didn't get to sleep until quite late and thus didn't sleep for very long all calculates to further fatigue.

"Since you're the first one here today, we have everything." She smiles warmly, no doubt feeling humoured in the fact that I feel so tired. At least, I think she thinks that it's funny to see me still being half-asleep. "You know, if you're still feeling tired, why don't you have something light and go back to bed. It is still pretty early." Her suggestion sounds great, but I wouldn't be able to get back to sleep because of the sun.

"Nah, I'll be fine." I clamber up to a sitting position, no longer resting my head and arms on the counter as I force myself to sit with a straight spine. "I'm sure if I had a moderate amount of food it'll wake me up."

"Okay then. How about the usual?" She asks me with a smile.

"Nah, I want something different since I don't get this opportunity every day." I look around the counter to see if there's anything that stands out to me. That's when I realise something. "Wait, I'm the first here?"

"Of course, you saw me when I was setting everything up, remember? Are you so tired that you forgot?" The nine-year old chimes with slight humour in her voice.

"Meaning that Ciel hasn't had the breakfast yet…" My eyes light up. "Mutsumi, what's a good breakfast meal to have in bed?" Hearing the excitement in my voice seems to be brighten Mutsumi's mood as she looks at the menu she created to answer my question.

"You could go for something simple like pancakes, but since this is for Ciel," She thinks to herself with a hum as she realises why I asked her a question. "And since it's her birthday… How about… Waffles with banana and salted caramel sauce?" My face faulters slightly at her idea. It'll be a bit difficult to feed Ciel something like that, but I suppose I could make it work.

"Why that?" I can't help but ask Mutsumi why she would choose something I'm sure Ciel's never ate before.

"Ciel is quite adventurous when it comes to food, and I know she hasn't tried this." She looks up from her menu and gives me a thumbs up, a huge smile on her face, "And it will be easy for you to make!" Her excitement almost rivals my own as I smile back wholeheartedly. She knew exactly what I had intended by asking her what makes a good meal to eat while in bed. Though, if she knew that I was going to make it for Ciel, why would she want me to make something that can get very messy. If we're not careful, I may have to take Ciel's sheets away and give them a wash.

"Let's get to work then!" I give her my own thumbs up before going to the other side of the counter. Mutsumi gives me a clean, white apron before she prepares the equipment.

"First, put the sugar, golden syrup and butter in a saucepan." Mutsumi gives me my first instruction. She had gathered the exact amount of ingredients for me to save on a bit of time. She told me that we would need all the time we would get because Ciel is an early riser. I can only hope that Ciel has decided that today would be the day that she wants to sleep a little longer. I do as Mutsumi says and put the three ingredients into the sauce pan which has already been heated. Fearing being burned by the pan though, I have a small oven glove on the hand that holds the pan while my other hand, that is used to put the ingredients into the pan, is free of an oven glove.

"Okay… that should do it." I speak up, having confirmed that I passed the first step.

"Good job!" She speaks as she motivates me, "Now, stir occasionally until everything has mixed together." Using a large wooden spoon, I mix the sugar, golden syrup and butter together. It takes 30 seconds before everything is appropriately mixed.

"Is it supposed to bubble?" I ask in concern as my mind begins processing multiple scary thoughts at once which all result in disaster.

"When it bubbles, we need to add the double cream and cook it for two minutes." As Mutsumi quells my fears, she hands me the container with the double cream. I pour the cream into the pan and mix it.

"Now we put in half a teaspoon of salt." She does this as soon as two minutes has passed. "And we take it off the heat to let it cool slightly in the pan." I move the pan away from the heat and onto one of the other hobs that we aren't using.

"Phew." I give an exasperated sigh. "What's next?"

"Well, we can't have waffles with banana and salted caramel sauce without the waffles, can we?" She smiles at me before moving the next set of ingredients closer to me.

"Of course not. So, the waffles are next. What's the first step, Instructor?" I chuckle lightly to myself at the use of the term others use for me; mainly Kanon and Erina, although Kanon's boyfriend has now become a student of mine. Not that I care about it, but I still don't completely trust him.

"Hehe." Mutsumi also chuckles at being called an instructor. "First, whisk the egg whites." She hands me the bowl with the egg whites in and I whisk until she tells me to stop. She hands me another bowl, but I notice that it is empty. "Now, mix the flour, bicarbonate, caster sugar and a pinch of salt together in this bowl." I follow her commands and grab the four ingredients and mix them together. "Now, make a well in the centre and add the egg yolks and melted butter."

"A well?" I can't help but question despite already following through with her instructions.

"Don't question it." She gives a simple command. "I'm the brains behind this operation, you're the brawn." I can tell she's having fun so I don't comment on the phrase she uses as I finish pouring in the melted butter. "Now, whisk it with this balloon whisk." She hands me the next piece of equipment which I realise is the one I had grabbed onto yesterday and was going to hit Winter with it before I was stopped. Now that I think about it, hitting Winter with a balloon whisk seems pretty funny, I'm surprised nobody laughed and let me do it. I definitely would have if I saw it happening.

"Ha" I lightly chuckle at the thought of hitting someone with a balloon whisk.

"Keep whisking while adding the milk until you get a smooth, thick batter." It takes about thirty seconds of whisking before we reach the desired outcome. At which point, Mutsumi gives the next instruction, "Add the egg whites with a metal spoon and pour the mix into a griddle pan." I do exactly as she says, and we let the mix rest for a few minutes before turning it over. We manage to make eight waffles using this mix. "That's not all." She brings this to my attention. "heat the remaining butter in a non-stick frying pan over a medium heat. Then fry the banana pieces until they're golden in colour." I do exactly that, turning off the heat as soon as they are gold. While I've been keeping an eye on the cooking, Mutsumi has placed the eight waffles onto two large plates, spreading them out so that they can all get an equal amount of banana slices and sauce. I move the pan towards the plates and scoop out the golden banana slices with a spatula, placing them all onto the waffles before finishing them off with an equal amount of caramel sauce that we made first.

Looking at the breakfast before me, I can't help but salivate at the thought of eating it. However, one thing stops me. "Why is there only two plates?" I ask Mutsumi. "Did you not want any?"

"I'm fine, thanks. Besides, the only thing different here is that I let you cook the breakfast. You still have to pay for using the ingredients." She informs me, a small smile on her face. To me, her smile looks rather sad. Whether this be because she is sad that she can't taste our hard work, or because the cooking lesson is finished, I don't know. I grab a clean plate from the rack and move one of the waffles from both plates onto it.

"Here, Mutsumi." I offer a smile along with the plate. "As far as I'm aware, you haven't had any breakfast yet either." She holds her hands to her chest and makes a pushing gesture.

"I can't accept this." She smiles. "You made this with the love you have for Ciel. I can't accept anything like that." I can understand her reason behind refusing to eat the waffles.

"You don't understand, Mutsumi." I place the plate down in front of her. "I was only able to make this because of your help. A large part of this meal was made with my love for Ciel, you're not wrong, but it was also made with the love of a friend. That's why you deserve to have some." From the start I had planned to let Mutsumi have some. However, I'm not sure my words reach her. "And if that doesn't work, let's just say you're the taste tester. You know a lot more about food than me, after all."

"Hehe." She gives a small chuckle which leads me to believe that she will refuse again, but the smile on her face gives away what she really wants. "I guess I can accept it on those terms." She grabs a knife and fork while I prepare a tray as well as cutlery for Ciel and I, placing the two plates of food now with three waffles each on it. I watch Mutsumi bite into the food before she gives me a thumbs up and a large smile. "She'll love it!"

"Thanks Mutsumi." I move around to the other side of the counter and grab the tray of food, before I leave the Lounge, I speak up again. "This was fun. Do you want to become my cooking teacher?"

"Sure." She simply smiles as she continues eating. I, meanwhile, walk out of the Lounge with a large smile on my face. I've made Ciel her breakfast and can feed it to her too. But what else can I do?

Bringing my fist up to Ciel's door, I give it a few taps.

"Ciel, are you awake?" I'll be pleasantly surprised if she isn't already awake, seeing as how she often wakes up earlier than me. Sometimes I'm even greeted with her face on a morning. It has to be one of the most pleasant ways to wake up. Though, that does mean that she has watched me when I've slept numerous times more than I've watched her. After hearing no response, I use the spare key to her door, that she gave me when I gave her the spare key for my room and unlock it. Quietly, I tiptoe into her room and place the tray of food down on a table before approaching the figure in the bed. I notice Ciel's face is slightly scrunched up and it is easy to see why; the natural light from the sun penetrates through the gap between the curtains. If I don't do anything, she'll wake up soon. I don't really know what I want her to do though; continue sleeping as she rarely gets the opportunity to sleep longer than required, or to wake her up so we can eat our breakfast while it's still warm. I decide to sit down in a nearby seat while still having the perfect view of Ciel's sleeping face and while speculating on my next action. I breathe out a sigh as I make my decision and close the curtains properly; eliminating the sunlight that threatened to break through in a large quantity to wake my sleeping beauty. It takes a few seconds before Ciel's face relaxes and I take my seat again. "I guess we'll eat it cold then." I utter, slightly disappointed in my decision, but more sleep may be better for Ciel. Reclining in my seat, I continue looking at Ciel with a warm smile on my face.

I'm surprised to see that, only five minutes later, Ciel begins shuffling and showing signs of awakening. Her body's alarm clock must have realised that she has been sleeping for longer than she usually does, even if it is only half an hour longer. She turns her head to the other side of the bed meaning that I can no longer watch her as she wakes up. I remains still for a minute before she shuffles again and ultimately sits up. I get a great view as her eyelids flutter and she greets the waking world.

"Good morning, sleepy head." She turns towards me as I speak up and she smiles softly as she realises who greeted her.

"Good morning, Cedrick." She replies warmly, love lacing her words. "How long have you been here?"

"Just a few minutes." My reply is also full of warmth. I see her legs shuffling under her sheets.

"Don't get up yet, Ciel." I stand up from my seat, quickly trying to get her to remain in bed. She looks at me with a mildly surprised face as I bring the tray of food to her. "Since it's your birthday, I thought it would be nice for you to have breakfast in bed." I place the tray of food over her lap, letting the legs of the tray stand to the sides of her thighs that are still under the cover of the bed.

"Really? Thank you." Her smile fills me with warmth as I prepare our utensils while she eagerly awaits. "It looks great. Did uh… Did you make it?" She stutters as she enquires. Ciel knows already that I'm not the best of cooks. She probably assumes that, because it looks great, someone must have helped me to cover up the mess of the food that I made by making it look presentable.

"Mutsumi helped me."

"Did she taste test it?" She asks, her nerves still not disappearing even after mentioning the nine-year old chef's name and how she contributed to the meal. The truth is, Mutsumi isn't my first cooking instructor. Ciel tried to teach me how to cook some things, but I can only say that they were a bit too difficult to make for a beginner.

"Yeah. She said you'll love it." I try to quell her fears, but it doesn't work.

"It's a bit of a strange meal to have in bed, isn't it?" She asks yet another question and I begin to feel disheartened. I understand why she asks that question though.

"I heard that you were adventurous, so why not go on a new adventure with a hint of risk?" The risk being that the caramel sauce can drip onto her bed sheets. "Come on," I sit down on her bed, being careful not to shake the tray holding the two plates of food, before I cut into one of the waffles and bring it towards her mouth. I hold my hand under the fork to catch the sauce that drips. Ciel's mouth opens and I place the food into her mouth, her lips take it off of the fork. I lick my hand clean of the caramel sauce, relishing the taste of it. I'm surprised to taste that it is still pretty warm. Just warm enough not to burn the roof of your mouth. "How is it?" Now it's my turn to be nervous as I watch the woman before me chew on the food that I had made.

"It's very good." She utters in surprise after she finishes her mouthful of food. "Maybe Mutsumi is a better teacher than I am." She quickly becomes depressed at the fact that one lesson from Mutsumi was able to teach me how to make amazing waffles.

"Mutsumi's a good teacher, but she did already have all of the ingredients weighed out before I started cooking. I doubt I'd be able to make this again without the ingredients being weighed out beforehand." I try to brighten up Ciel's self-inflicted mood drop by explaining my incompetency at cooking.

"It was a joke, Cedrick." She smiles almost as sweet as the caramel sauce. "If Mutsumi can help you to become a better cook faster then I'm all for it." I'm surprised she isn't jealous towards the young chef, but I don't comment on it. I merely chuckle at her words before preparing her next mouthful.

"Open wide." I put the food in her mouth and prepare the next mouthful, waiting until she's finished swallowing the food before I move the fork towards her again.

"It's not fair if I'm the only person to be eating." She grabs her own fork and knife and start cutting into my waffles. Meanwhile, I've already placed another forkful of food in her mouth.

"It's your turn now." She holds her hand under the fork, catching the sauce that drips off of the fork. "Say 'Ahh'." She moves the fork closer to me.

"Ahh." The fork enters my mouth and I use my teeth to scrape the food off of the fork. Having not tasted the food before now, I'm surprised at how good it actually is. It, by no means, tastes better than food that others make, but maybe to Ciel, my food tastes better than the food she makes. The thought of that makes me feel warm.

"You've got to open wide before I can feed you again." She speaks and takes me out of my thoughts. It seems as though I was so invested in my thoughts that I hadn't heard Ciel tell me to 'open wide'. Seeing that I still haven't done so, she removes her hand from under her fork, where I notice that some of the sauce drips onto the pure white bedding, and places it on my face, forcing my jaws apart. She puts the fork into my mouth, and I extract the food from it. My cheek feels a bit sticky as I realise that her hand wasn't clean of the sauce.

"I feared this would happen." I stare at the stain on her bedding and her eyes are drawn towards it too. Before she can say anything though, I quickly continue, "We can wash it soon. Right now, we should finish eating." I prepare the next mouthful, effectively saying that the stain doesn't matter at the moment. Ciel and I continue feeding each other until we've eaten all of our food. At which point, I leave the room with Ciel's bed sheets so that I can wash them while she prepares herself for the day. At Ciel's request, I leave the tray of plates in her room so that she can take them back to the Lounge since she'll be heading that way anyway. Entering the lift, I press the button for the floor for which the washing of clothes and fabrics is completed, placing them into the basket labelled 'Ciel' for the cleaning staff to clean.

I head back into the Lounge to meet up with Ciel again. Inside, I find her behind the counter washing the dishes we used for breakfast. I sit at the counter, near her, and watch her as she works.

"We should get our mandatory mission out of the way with." I speak my idea to her, "That way, you can do whatever you want for the rest of your birthday." Smiling, I explain my thoughts.

"That would be nice, but I don't have anything planned today." She informs me, drying her hands on a towel as she finishes washing the dishes.

"Really? Nothing at all? I'm sure you'll think of something soon." My words betray my thoughts. I'm glad that she doesn't have anything planned, as I already do. However, it requires Ciel to not be in the Lounge. From the corner of my eye, I can already see Kota, the party master, as well as the rest of Blood staring at me expectantly. I didn't think that they would start doing their job so early, hence why I told Ciel that we should complete the mandatory one mission per day right now. I stand up from my seat as Ciel approaches me, having moved to my side of the counter. "I'll tell you what, you gather your equipment and I'll choose our mission. Does that sound like a plan?"

"Sure." Her voice gives off a hint of suspicion, but I choose to ignore it. "I'll get my things then." She offers a smile before leaving the Lounge. As soon as she does, Kota approaches me.

"That was close, man." The worry in his voice is evident. "It's going to take some time to set up. You're going to need to take her on a long mission if we want to get this sorted in time."

"I know, Kota, I know." I wave my hands dismissively. "I do have a backup plan just in case she tries to head into the Lounge before you've finished."

"Good. I wouldn't want our hard work to go to waste."

"You haven't even started yet, Romeo." I dismiss his comment as well.

"Are you sure you can do it alone?" Nana gazes at me with an inquisitive expression. I won't hesitate to say that she's cute like that.

"I'll manage. Let's not forget who I am."

"You're not exactly most active conversationalist." Livie's comment only makes me stare at her incredulously. I'm sure she gets the message. I suppose she is right that I don't talk as often as I could, but that's just a part of me. A part that I believe resonates with Ciel.

"Conversations aren't the only way to bide time, Livie." I reason with her. I do have a backup plan, like already mentioned, but maybe it would be a good idea to have a backup plan for my backup plan. Actually, I'm not even sure how much time I'd be able to spend with my original backup plan, henceforth referred to as 'Plan A'.

"I'm sure the Captain can handle it." I breathe a sigh of relief at Gilbert's words.

"If not, one of us can switch places with him." Julius suggests, slightly easing the pressure off of my shoulders.

"That's a good idea." I can't help but utter. "I guess that will be 'Plan B'."

"Plan B?" I choose not to answer Nana. I'm sure I've already told them that I had a backup plan.

"Anyway, I should get moving, I still need to pick a mission for us to go on." I head towards the Lounge's door.

"Make sure it's a difficult one!" Romeo shouts to remind me. I motion with my hand that I heard him and that I didn't forget before I leave the Lounge, head to the Operator's Desk, and choose a difficult mission.

After retrieving my God Arc, I head to the roof where I find Ciel waiting outside of a helicopter.

"Sorry I took so long." I apologise, scratching my head nervously. I hope I didn't keep her waiting long.

"I just got here myself." Her words, and her smile, ease my nerves as I motion for her to step into the helicopter. She does exactly that and I follow in after her, a smile on my face. However, that smile is quickly removed.

"Are we on the wrong helicopter?" I ask Ciel. That's the only explanation I could come up with as there are two more occupants on the helicopter. Though, why would she stand outside of the wrong one?

"No. I just ran into these two who said that they'd like to accompany you on a mission." Ciel explains, a smile on her face, seemingly ignorant of the fact that I wanted this mission to only include the two of us.

"I don't really feel like teaching today, though." I sit beside Ciel, opting to keep my eyes closed in an attempt to escape from the real world and escape the two that are in front of me.

"Ah, really?" Kanon's voice borders on disappointment and excitement. "We're all on!" At her words, I open my eyes and see my student bang on the inside of the helicopter. I see the doors to the helicopter close and hear the sounds of the propellers moving. Kanon betrayed me!

"Wow, that's pretty evil of you, Kanon." The man beside her supports his girlfriend's choice with happiness in his voice. This guy is my new student; Winter. However, I'm pretty sure the only thing I can teach this guy is how to use a Blood Art. So, there's no point in him being my student. I rest my elbow on the wall of the helicopter and use my hand to hold my head up.

"You're both pretty cunning." I comment without a hint of emotion in my voice. For some reason, Kanon laughs at this. I choose not to humour her by asking why she is laughing though. "I never would have expected that from Kanon, having taught her for so long."

"That just proves you don't know her as well as I do." Winter smirks as he replies to my words. Kanon merely chuckles at this. It seems as though this Winter guy is a bad influence on her. She would never do something I was uncomfortable with otherwise.

"So, Captain," I feel Ciel's arm around my shoulder as she attracts my attention. This is just one of the few actions we will do in public as we'd be embarrassed by anything more. "What kind of mission did you choose?"

"An extermination mission." A smile makes its way onto my face as I look at Winter, "I hope you can handle a Corrosive Hannibal or two."

"Yeah, I'll be able to do that. Is that all we're up against?" Winter replies with a cold look on his face. This must be his battle-face.

"Oh no, no, no. The Corrosive Hannibals are the easy part. We've got to fight against a couple of Tezcatlipocas, a Kabbala-Kabbala and three Fierce Kongou." My smile only grows more sinister as I list off all of the Aragami. In truth, the only Aragami this mission requires us to exterminate is the two Corrosive Hannibals, but there's no reason why we can't defeat all of the Aragami there. I was hoping that if Ciel was feeling up to it, we'd be able to fight the other Aragami together and waste a bit more time. However, now that there is four of us, we'll probably complete this mission in less time than I had hoped.

"You and Ciel were going to kill all of those Aragami?" At Kanon's shocked question, I can't help but feel smug.

"Of course. We're the Captain and Vice-Captain of the strongest unit in the world. Only we could manage all of that." Maybe I'm gloating a bit too much, but Blood is definitely recognised world wide as a very strong unit. Hence all the recognition I get for being the Captain of this unit. It's wide perceived that the Captain is the strongest member of their unit, after all.

"So, we just charge in there and wreak havoc? That sounds good. I've been meaning to let loose for a while." Unfortunately, I don't get the desired response from Winter which would be one of regret for choosing to accompany us on this mission. Instead, he sounds confident, cocky even.

"Can we really handle that though?" Kanon sounds a bit scared at the possibility of facing all the mentioned Aragami at once.

"Of course, we're not going to fight them all at the same time. We may even need to split into teams and deal with Aragami then. It all depends on how physically close the Aragami are to each other." Ciel explains, removing her arm from around my shoulders.

"The fact that the _strongest God Eater in the world_ has recognised you for this mission must mean that he believes in you, Kanon." I can hear the clear emphasis on certain words that Winter utters. He must be trying to get a response from me. Really though, I'm just irritated at how he managed to twist the situation into a positive one for Kanon, knowing very well that I can't intervene unless I want to lower his girlfriend's confidence. Really, I doubt that Kanon will be able to complete this mission without injuries. That won't be my problem though, Kanon will be on her boyfriend's team so any injuries will be his responsibility. I just hope they aren't too serious.

"We're here!" The pilot shouts as we reach the outskirts of the Tranquil Temple. The pilot opens the door to give us a view of the battlefield. The four of us approach the door to get a clearer view.

"So, we're splitting into two teams, right?" I enquire to the strategist of Blood while keeping an eye on all the Aragami. It appears as though the three Fierce Kongou are completely separated between the three sections of the area. The two Corrosive Hannibals are in the centre of the middle section where one of the Tezcatlipocas accompanies them. The other Tezcatlipoca along with the Kabbala-Kabbala are mingling with the a lone Fierce Kongou within the temple.

"Yes." Ciel nods. "I believe the strongest two of us should deal with the Aragami in the middle layer." I feel an unfamiliar arm around my shoulder.

"I guess that's us then!" Winter shouts in excitement before he jumps from the helicopter. Meanwhile, I can only ask myself if I'm being punished for my earlier words. "I'll show you what I can do, Instructor!" According to earlier interactions with everyone at the Far East, I had gotten the impression that Winter was emotionless. Has Kanon rubbed off on him?

"Kanon and I will deal with the Fierce Kongou." She continues to explain before pushing me to the very edge of the helicopter. "Then we'll separate the other Fierce Kongou and Tezcatlipoca from the Kabbala-Kabbala. You should be finished by then so you can help us out."

"I'm definitely being punished for something." I can't help but utter as Ciel pushes me out of the helicopter.

By the time I've landed on the ground, I've noticed that Winter is already engaged in battle with all of the Aragami in the middle layer. He has his black wings out as he uses them to cut into the flesh of multiple Aragami at the same time. Seeing it really makes me question if I am the strongest God Eater in the world. Nevertheless, I let my thoughts go and instantly activate Blood Rage. If he wants to show off, then I will too!

With the two of us combined, all the Aragami in the middle layer are defeated within thirty minutes. I had anticipated this to take about an hour to do with Ciel, thus completing this part of the mission in half of the time leaves a sour taste in my mouth. It looks like I'll have to rely on using my backup plans after all.

"You're pretty good." I can't help the words that come out of my mouth. Whenever I see talent like that, I just have to acknowledge it.

"You too, Captain Esparza." I audibly groan at Winter's term of address for me.

"I'm not even sure you need a Blood Art."

"Trust me," He becomes serious, "I need it. I'm always looking for opportunities to improve." He smiles towards the end of his sentence. "We should help the girls out now." He starts running towards their last known location, the temple. I follow at a distance, watching his back in case an Aragami sees him as a tasty snack.

We reach the girls and join them in their battle against the only remaining enemy, a Kabbala-Kabbala. Winter's attacks and bullets are completely ineffective against it, reminding me that he will need to learn a Blood Art in order to defeat psions. However, even without Winter's help, we defeat the psion quickly. After doing so, we head back to the Far East where, before Ciel can think about going to the Lounge, I manage to convince her into heading to the training room where we can develop more Blood Bullets. This takes numerous hours to complete and soon enough, Kanon silently enters the training room, alerting me and only me, and gives me a thumbs up, telling me that everything is ready.

"You know, we've been at this for a while." I mention to Ciel whose attention turns away from the machine in front of her and she looks at me.

"I guess you're right." She mumbles, looking slightly disappointed. In truth, I have no idea what kind of bullet she was working on. I decided I'd try and make a bullet at the same time as her, and I'd hoped it would be complete before we were finished in here. I really wanted a bullet that would spell out either "Happy Birthday" or "Ciel" as a design while the bullet is so strong that it would kill smaller Aragami in one hit. Unfortunately, I'm not as well versed in the making of bullets as Ciel is, so I was unable to do it. However, we still have something to look forward to.

"How about we head back into the Lounge and get something to eat? It'll be my treat."

"Hmm… Okay." She gives me a cute, happy smile and we leave the training room and head towards the Lounge.

As we approach the door to the Lounge, I let Ciel open the door and enter it. As we enter, we can tell how dark it is instantly, because we can't see anything in it.

"Has there been a power outage?" Ciel utters. However, before I can reply, the lights turn back on and we hear multiple popping sounds.

"Surprise!" Everyone shouts as they reveal themselves, standing up after crouching behind the counter. Some of the streamers land on Ciel and I brush them off of her head. "Happy Birthday!"

"What is this?" Ciel manages to squeeze out a question through her surprise.

"It's your birthday party." Livie explains as the group approach the birthday girl and me. Ciel turns her head towards me and I merely give her a smile.

"Well, are you surprised?" Honestly, I feel slightly jealous that I didn't get to have a surprise party for my birthday, but that was because we were dealing with the Spiral Tree. Still, I'm happy that I can do something like this for my girlfriend.

"Of course. I never expected anything like this." She only just manages to answer my question. The awe she feels almost leaves her speechless.

"Well, why don't you start mingling with everyone." I suggest to her. "You're the birthday girl, I'm sure everyone wants your attention."

"Even you?" She smirks smugly as she tries to catch me out on my words. I can't help the chuckle that escapes me.

"I can wait. Trust me when I say that all the attention will be on me soon." I start walking away from Ciel as I head to the food stand.

"On you?" I hear Ciel repeat.

"Enjoy yourself, Ciel." I dismiss her question as I reach the food stand. It's been a long time since breakfast, and I've been with Ciel ever since. Neither of us have eaten anything since then which explains my hunger pangs. What I really meant to say to Ciel was that the attention would be on the two of us, but I feel as though my words will help her to enjoy her party.

"So, what did you mean by that?" Gilbert walks up to me, taking a plate and helping himself to the food on display.

"There's only one thing it could mean, right?" Haruomi speaks up from beside Gilbert. The two long-time friends seem to be the most interested in my words to Ciel.

"You'll see." I chuckle confidently, although I feel anything but that. I know I'm correct when I say all the attention will be on us. However, that's what makes me nervous. With what I have planned, it could either make or break today; meaning it could serve as one of Ciel's best memories, or one of her worst. I move away from the food stand, having already put a sizeable amount on my plate, and head to one of the comfy seats near the TV, so I can have a good view of Ciel and see her enjoy herself while being comfy.

After about ten minutes, I've eaten all the food on my plate and dispose of the waste in a nearby bin. I reclaim my seat and continue watching Ciel as she opens her presents. Within my sight, I notice Alisa staring backwards and forwards between the presents and me. She soon lets her curiosity get the better of her and heads towards me.

"So, where's your present?" She asks, taking a seat next to me. This suggests, to me, that she plans on staying here for a little while.

"Don't worry. I've got her a present. I'll just give it to her a little later."

"Why isn't it where the rest of the presents are?" Her curiosity is unwavering and is starting to get a little annoying.

"My present is more important than the others."

"Oh? You're thinking very highly of your present. Who's to say that your present is more important than the others?"

"Alisa," I look at her seriously and speculate about revealing some crucial information to her. In the end, I decide not to. "My present is more important than pads of paper and colouring pencils…" I list off a couple of the presents I've seen her open. "You'd think that she was a child or something." I return to watching the birthday girl with a funny feeling in my gut. Honestly, I know my present is a lot better than the ones I've seen Ciel open, but can I really give it to her in front of all of these people? The last time I was rejected, there was only Ciel and I there. Kanon discovered me later on, but even so, that means only one person knew I had been rejected at the time, and I had broken down into tears once I realised my gift for Ciel had been damaged. Would I be able to handle rejection again?

"I'm sure it will be fine." Haruomi makes his presence known, seemingly able to read my thoughts.

"What will be fine?" It appears Alisa hasn't quite caught on yet.

"You said that the last time, remember, Haruomi?" My voice already sounds as though I've been rejected as I speak.

"Haha, I guess I did. It did work out in the end though. Think of it this way, if you don't do it today, when is the next time you can do it?" I listen to Haruomi's words and answer them within my mind. I suppose the next time I could do it would be on Christmas, but would I really want to do it on such a celebrated holiday? Surely, it wouldn't stand out as much. However, if I do it on her birthday then it will be unique to her. She is the only person here whose birthday is on the 17th December, after all.

"You're right." I give a heavy sigh before standing up.

"What's he right about?" Alisa asks, seemingly still not understanding what Haruomi and I are talking about.

"You'll see, Alisa. You'll see." Haru teases, though I'm not sure if he's trying to tease Alisa or me with his words. I walk out of the Lounge and head back to my room. That's where I left Ciel's gift after all. I need to make sure that I have it with me when I ask her the all-important question…

I return to the Lounge with the ring, and the box it is in, firmly in my pocket. I retake my seat, despite the fact that I no longer have a view of Ciel. I saw her as I walked back in though. She's playing with the capybara that she so often takes care of. Ciel must be happy that the rodent has stopped growing now, otherwise it would probably grow to the size of the Lounge if we let it. Then we'd have nowhere to put it. I look around the room to see what everyone else is doing. Some people are playing pool. Some people are butchering the piano and seeing what sounds it makes, not literally of course. Everyone else is either eating or drinking. I decide to stop watching the others and close my eyes as I try to ease the butterflies in my stomach… I know that I have to give my gift to Ciel today, but when is the right time? I know that I have to wait for the right mood, but what is it? Will I miss my chance if I can't read the mood?

"Cedrick? Is something wrong?" I hear the voice of my girlfriend in my ear and it startles me.

"Nothing's wrong, Ciel. Why did you think something was?" I ask her, noticing she's on the other side of the couch I was sitting on. She walks around it to sit down next to me.

"Your face was scrunched up. I know you don't really like parties…" But she was hoping I'd like hers? Is that what she was going to say?

"Don't worry, Ciel, it's not that." I give her a dismissive wave with a smile to match it.

"Then, it's something else?" I hate the fact that Ciel can press me for answers and know she can get away with it. Plus, she's smart enough to question others' lexis. That's something she got from me, so I can't exactly hate it.

"Ciel, what do you think of your gifts?" I look towards the stand which holds all of her opened presents.

"I think they're great." She answers with an honest smile and it almost kills me. If she can think even a pad of paper and coloured pencils are great, what will she think of my gift? It could really make or break today, probably even our relationship. How do I know that Ciel is as serious about me as I am about her? I suppose I could try and get her to say it… but then I'd be doubting her. "Why do you ask?"

"Did you notice I didn't get you a gift?" I can hear the sadness in my voice. I'm sure Ciel can hear it too.

"You did. You gave it to me as I woke up, remember?" She's talking about the breakfast I made for her.

"That doesn't really count as a gift, Ciel. I should probably be doing that more often."

"If that's the case, I should be too. I don't think I've ever given you breakfast in bed before." Ciel speaks and I can hear her voice sounding dejected too. I snake an arm around her shoulders.

"Just knowing that you're there for me is the best thing I could ask for, Ciel." I try to comfort her, I can't have the birthday girl sounding so sad because of my words. My girlfriend leans her head against my arm before rolling her head to reach my shoulder.

"I feel the same way, Cedrick." She replies with a sweet smile and I relish in it. It makes me happy to know that she feels happy with me… but is she happy enough? Is this the best chance I'm going to get at setting the mood?

"Ciel, I did get you a gift." The words come out of my mouth before I can properly think them through. I blame my nervousness for it and silently curse myself as Ciel looks up at me in mild surprise as she expects me to continue. I reach into my pocket with my free arm before taking my arm from around Ciel's shoulders and grab her hand. While she sits on the couch, I stand and quickly make my way in front of her.

"Oh, so this is what he meant." At the sound of Alisa's awful whispering, I realise that we have an audience. I expected it, but that doesn't quell my nervousness.

"Ciel, I want you to always be there for me. To always be with me. So," I nervously, slowly make my way down onto one knee. "I want you to marry me, will you?" The words come out in a nervous bundle and the syntax is all wrong as I stare into her eyes and view her shocked expression. Seconds feel like hours as I await her response. The pain grows with each passing second before I eventually lose my nerve and begin shuffling to stand back up, dejected.

"Yes." I hear the girl in front of me whisper and take a good look at her face. As I do so, I feel the nervousness I felt disappear as butterflies of a different sort replace the butterflies of nervousness. "I will." She repeats her answer, a wide smile on her face as a few tears stream down her face. It takes everything in me to not cry in happiness too as I slip the ring onto the appropriate finger. As soon as I've done so, I hear the sound of cheers and applause from the audience around us. I choose to ignore it though as I give Ciel a peck on the head. To my surprise, she takes my head and redirects my lips to hers. I don't fight against it as for the first time since we started dating, I feel as though I can't be any happier.

After becoming successfully engaged to Ciel, the party had soon ended and we all headed up to our rooms. Ciel and I had opted to stay in the Lounge to help clean up the mess, meaning that we didn't return to our quarters until much later in the night. However, I didn't mind as I really didn't want today to end. Hence, I'm lying in my bed, alone due to certain rules in the Branch, wide awake so that it feels as though today will never end.

"Cedrick?" I hear a couple of knocks on my door. "Can I come in?" That's my girlfriend's voice that I hear, I walk to the door, mild surprise on my face as I see the woman in her pyjamas, a pillow clutched in her arms.

"Ciel? I didn't expect you at this time." I comment on her appearance at this time of night. The truth was, it was yesterday that we celebrated her birthday as it has since passed midnight and thus signalling the start of a new day.

"I can't sleep." She tells me, a light blush on her face. "It's difficult to sleep without having a duvet cover." I can't help the smile that overcomes my face as I remember what had happened. The breakfast went all over her bed sheets. I am surprised they haven't been closed though.

"So, you wanted to sleep in here?" I comment snidely, moving out of the doorway as I tease her. "You realise that we'll be breaking the rules." I comment again as Ciel walks into the room. I make sure to lock the door behind her to prevent anyone from entering and catching us breaking the rules in the act. I honestly nervous at this situation. It will be the first time that Ciel and I have shared a bed together, and the way she stands in front of my bed, I assume she is nervous too.

"I never realised how small your bed was." Ciel's comment confirms her nervousness. I don't exactly need a large bed to sleep. Strangely, I thought that Ciel's bed was too big, it must have been like a king size bed, so for the two of us to suddenly be sleeping in a single bed, "We're going to be really close."

"You're right." I move closer to the bed and Ciel. "But you knew that already, didn't you?" I clasp her shoulders as I rhetorically ask her before moving onto the bed and getting under the duvet. My back is now against the wall, while Ciel will be closer to the edge of the bed. However, I know how to stop her from rolling off of it. As Ciel crawls in beside me, I wrap my arms around her waist. She visibly jumps but soon settles down.

"I guess I should expect this from now on." Ciel mumbles. We may be more intimate in private, but we haven't reached these levels.

"We should. Maybe we should share your bed next time." I tease her slightly, blowing into her ear and watching her flinch. Due to the way she got into the bed, she faces away from me, leaving her back towards me. I can't help but wonder what would happen if she was facing me, and her breasts were pressing into me.

"What's that?" I hear her ask and quickly try to fight my erotic thoughts away "Something's poking me." I rotate my waist so that my genitals are now facing downwards, resting into the fabric rather than poking my girlfriend.

"Don't worry, sometimes I get so sleepy that I fall asleep with things still in my bed." I only realise after I've said it that this excuse was awful. Silence overcomes us and I can only hear Ciel breathe. I begin to think that she's asleep, but then I hear her speak.

"I… I didn't exactly hate it." She whispers and I can only just hear her. It makes me more excited. She then rotates her body while still in the grasp of my arms so that she faces me. Both of our faces heat up because of our very close proximity, and that's not the only thing to heat up as I feel two points protruding from Ciel's chest.

"Ciel… are you…?"

"You can't blame me. People have needs…" She whispers again, and her words once again excite me. "This… This will be… my first…"

"Mine too, Ciel." I answer her, my own voice only just above a whisper and I can only smile as Ciel smiles back at me. Our faces move closer at a slow pace until finally, our lips connect…


	139. Chapter 139 - READ AT OWN RISK

Chapter 139

DISCLAIMER: I DO NOT OWN THE GOD EATER FRANCHISE HOWEVER I DO OWN MY OC.

Also, please leave a review!

Name: Cedrick Esparza

Gender: Male

Hairstyle: 7 (Dark brown)

I apologise for not uploading recently. I didn't really feel like writing anything, having returned from University. Then, I couldn't write anything due to a personal event. Today, however, I've had the time to write something, so I wrote this.

WARNING: READ AT YOUR OWN DISCRETION.

As our lips connect, I see a flurry of colours explode around us. As if my whole world has been lit up in this one moment, and I can tell by the greedy devouring of each other's lips that this is only the start. I bring a hand up to Ciel's cheek and cup it as I deepen the kiss. Our tongues passionately dancein each other's mouths as we both fight for dominance. After a few swipes of our tongues, I relent under my girlfriend's strength. She claims her victory by pushing both of our tongues into my mouth. The shock of her sudden assertion makes me open my eyes and I see the dominant gaze of my wife-to-be staring back at me. I never would have thought that this quiet woman would be so dominant in the bedroom. However, I don't complain. In fact my chest warms as I realise how deep her affection for me is.

A few moments later, I fight back. I wrap my arms around her frame and pull her against me; growing even more excited as I feel the softness of her boobs spilling over her bra through the fabric of her clothes. With just as much eagerness, Ciel embraces my own body with one arm while her other floats seductively up and down my thigh. I feel my bulge becoming more painful with each stroke. Not wanting to give into my carnal desires just yet, I decide to execute my own foreplay: I break our mouths apart as I plant kisses along the base of my lover's neck while simultaneously extending my hands under her clothing until I reach an obstruction. Already knowing what it is, I float my fingers across Ciel's spine as I try to locate the straps that keep her treasures in place. She gasps under my touch and my lips immediately return to her mouth, not wanting her moans to be released beyond this room.

A couple of seconds pass by and my mind goes into overdrive as I massage the bountiful beauties Ciel has been blessed with. For so long I have fantasised about doing this, and now that I finally can I'm not going to let this opportunity go to waste. I bring one of my hands to Ciel's chest and run my fingers between the areola and nipple. I, once again, break our mouths apart and use my other hand to open Ciel's clothes to reveal the mountains and their peaks that I've held in such high regard. Allowing my eyes to engrave the sight into my eyes for only a moment, I move my head to the exposed, pretty pink nipple that my hand had prepared before. I enclose my mouth around her breast and suck it further into my mouth, using my tongue to lap around the nipple. I ignore Ciel's erotic gasps and moans as my other hand finds her other breast, gently massaging it. Suffering through the pleasure, I feel Ciel's hand wrap around my back before going lower and slotting her thumbs into my clothes. As she pulls down my trousers, I can't help but smile as Ciel tries to reclaim the dominance that she once had. However, that smile quickly disappears as I feel my trousers leave my body and her arms embrace my head; pushing me further into her breasts. Even though I could play with her upper half all day, her hips grinding against my leg informs me that her lower half needs attention. I bring my head back up to Ciel's as our tongues have a rematch while my hands reach towards Ciel's pyjama bottoms.

I slip my hands into the back of her trousers and firmly grasp her arse, relishing in the muffled moan of the woman before me. Not being much of an admirer of a woman's rear end, I quickly move towards the front, feeling a wetness as I do so.

"You tried to be dominant when you're this wet?" I tease Ciel who matches my teasing by clutching my exposed balls. Her hand moving back and forth between them and my penis as if to shut me up. She grins smugly needing no words to get the message across. As a hand massages her folds, my other reaches for her behind and my mouth returns to her breasts, I realise something. "Uh…" I stop my actions and stare into the surprised and wanting eyes of my lover. "How do we do this?" I utter my expression before starting my actions again at a much slower speed.

"N-N- Not in that hole!" she squeezes out her words as a few fingers had worked their way to Ciel's arsehole. Despite her plea, my fingers continue to tease her excretion pipe. While I am worried about how we'll continue this, that doesn't mean I can't have fun teasing my girlfriend in the meantime. "It's not a safe week." She utters through pleasure. Knowing what her words mean I extend a hand towards my drawing unit and reach into a draw, pulling out a condom while simultaneously enjoying Ciel's unsatisfied moan since my hands had left her body. Before I put the condom on, Ciel takes me into another passionate lock of the lips. She leaves me fumbling around to put the condom on, but when I eventually do, my hands return to Ciel's body. To prepare her for the main event, I place a finger inside of her vagina. "Hhhhhh." Ciel's erotic moan warms up my own body and I put another finger into her. This time I wiggle my fingers erratically and can't help but absorb the sight of the helpless girl before me. I've dreamed of this moment for so long that I enjoy every second of it. I enjoy it so much, in fact, that I have to rapidly blink my eyes to hold back a few tears of happiness. Wanting to bring my wife-to-be even more pleasure, I stick another finger into her, pumping my fingers in and out of her before I take one of Ciel's breasts into my hand again. It's my aim to bring her the ultimate pleasure before we begin the main course. "Stop… teasing… Me… Cedrick!" I smile at her utterances as she speaks through the pleasure. I remove my fingers from her vagina and line up our bodies.

"Are you ready?" Now that we're about to start the main event, I begin to worry again. My main and only concern this time is: am I big enough for her.

"I've been ready for a long time, Cedrick. This has been the best day of my life." She speaks with a truly happy smile, "the love of my life has proposed to me, and it happened on my birthday. To round it off with my first time with the person to whom I devote my life to will bring me even greater happiness. Don't you feel happy, Cedrick?" Her happy smile fades and a worried expression marks her features. I breathe a sigh of relief.

"Of course I'm happy, Ciel. I love you." My words quell the worry of my lover and she gives me the same words back.

"I love you too, Cedrick. So much…" With the talking over, I line up our genitalia and proceed; my penis breaking into her vagina and pushing through her hymen. "Ah!" Her hands clutch my shoulders and her nails dig into skin as she gasps in pain.

"Are you okay?" I utter in concern, knowing that this would happen and deciding that it would be easier for her to have her virginity taken quickly rather than a drawn out pain.

"Just… give me a few seconds…" her face shows her discomfort as her eyes are clenched tightly shut. For the next few moments, I watch her face for any sort of sign. It comes a minute later with a slow, silent nod. Having obtained her permission, I slowly thrust into her.

Thrusting into her, and losing my virginity for the first time is a delight for me but the pained look on my partner's face stops me from enjoying it. Her vaginal walls clamp around my rod as I continue thrusting at a slow pace. I decide to put my hands to use and give my favourite half of Ciel's body some attention; my fingers lightly skimming her hips before my attention returns to her boobs. I can't help the relieved smile that comes over my face as the extra attention to Ciel's body earns me a few horny moans. In another couple of minutes, the pain on her face has completely lifted and I start thrusting at a faster pace. Her moans become more wild as I get faster and faster. I'll be surprised if nobody asks us what all of that moaning in my room was about. I lock lips with Ciel again in an attempt to mute her pleasured moans.

Eventually I reach my climax as Ciel reaches hers. And I hold each other loosely, panting into each other's ear. Strangely, the feeling of her breath on my ear arouses me more and my penis becomes erect again. I dispose of the condom, throwing it into a nearby bin before paying attention to Ciel again. However, to the disappointment of my manhood, I realise that the breathing of the girl before me has become shallow; meaning that she is drifting into the land of unconscious. I can't help the silent, disappointed sigh that escapes me but I look back to her lovingly before embracing her body and deciding to end our fun here for today.


End file.
